Fukai Mori: Deep Forest
by DP-shrine-in-closet-girl
Summary: Vlad has a few new tricks up his sleeve and gets the Teen Titans to capture InvisoBill for him, but what happens when they finally meet? cross over
1. Disastrous Introduction

Chapter One:

Hi everybody my name DP-shrine-in-closet-girl and I am continuing this wonderful story LaBOBuren wrote. So from chapters 1-6 it is not my writing, but I'm sure you will be able to tell the difference in our writing. I only hope I can do this story justice and although I don't think my writing is nearly as funny, I hope my new ideas and plot twits can make up for that. If you have any comments on the first 6 chapters there will be a link in my profile to the original story and I'm sure LaBOBuren would love to hear them. Otherwise please enjoy and review!

Disclaimer: I love Danny! You love Danny! We're a great big Phantom fan group! With a great big 'I don't own it!' with an 'and I never will!' won't you say 'I won't sue you!'

**Chapter One: **

**Disastrous Introduction**

Danny grabbed the books he needed for Mr. Lancers English class next period and slammed his locker shut. "Hey Danny!" He heard someone shout to him from across the hall and, wondering who it was, he turned around.

Seeing the familiar face, he smiled. "Oh, hi Sam. Did you do the homework assignment thingy for English?"

Sam laughed. "Yeah, I did. Unlike you Danny, **I **do my homework. Well, most of the time anyways. What about you? Did **you** do the 'homework assignment thingy'?" she teased.

"Eh…" Danny rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Not **exactly**… Y'see there was this thing with this thing… with these ghosts and a thermos…"

"So that's a 'no' then?" Danny nodded and Sam sighed exasperatedly. "Which one was it this time and what do you plan on telling our favorite shiny-q-ball-headed-insane-yet-esteemed teacher, Mr. Lancer?"

"Harsh Sam… but oh, so very called for." Danny laughed. "It was the Dragon Ghost and I'm telling him that I just didn't do it. It won't change my grade if he just thinks I'm lazy. All that matters to him is that it wasn't done."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, there's no point in making up excuses that he's just going to ignore." Sam shifted the books in her arms to get a better grip on them. "So Tuck and I were going to go to the mall after school to catch a movie. Do you wanna come?"

"Sure, what movie? Did you guys have a certain one in mind?"

"Nope!" Danny jumped at the sound of the voice – Sam hadn't said that, and Danny hadn't seen Tucker sneaking up on them. "We were just going to make you pick. That way, if the movie stunk, we'd have someone to blame for making us watch it."

Sam and Danny laughed, "Thanks Tucker. Why don't we just see what they have when we get there? It'd be easier." Sam and Tucker nodded in agreement.

"Sure," they chorused and continued on their way to English.

**&-X-x-x-X-&**

Tucker, Sam, and Danny all sat at a table in the mall after each grabbing something from the food court. They talked a bit as they sat eating and looked around their surroundings. Danny was the first person to notice something weird there.

A girl about their age was walking by, not too far from their table. She was average height and her appearance was normal in a general sense.

She had dark, piercing eyes, a somewhat pale face, and black hair with an odd purple tinge that folded around her head like a pair of raven's wings pointed downward. She had a red gem on her forehead, but there were certain cultures that still did that kind of stuff.

All in all, not too weird. The part that **wasn't **normal had more to do with what she was wearing.

She was wearing what looked like a long sleeved black swimsuit, a yellow and red belt made of connecting circles, and a dark blue cape. She looked quite out of place and she didn't seem to be enjoying it.

She walked up to a rather perky girl with red hair and green eyes and a purple skirt and belly-shirt. She also had long pieces of metal around the lower half of her arms and covering the tops of her hands.

"Come on," said the first girl, "you've been here long enough. We're going back to the tower, now."

"But," started the other girl sadly, "friend Raven, we have not yet gone to the sale of shoes! Is that not why we came to **this** mall instead of the one near our home?"

The girl named Raven sighed. "I don't know, but let's just go. I hate it here, it's a mall, I'm shopping and there's some guy with black hair watching me. I want to leave **now**."

Danny blinked, surprised that she'd noticed him. Oh well, he was never exactly Mr. inconspicuous anyways. It was almost a wonder that his parents hadn't found out who he was yet. The only reasons they hadn't found out were because Jack wasn't all that bright and they trusted him so much.

"Alright, friend Raven, and when we get home, I shall prepare the Feast of Friendship from my home! I am so glad that you have finally agreed to come with me to the Mall of Shopping!"

"Sure… whatever. Lets just go before something happens over in Jump City, ok?"

"Yes, Raven, I am coming!"

Danny blinked again. Jump City was a bit of a long way from Amity Park if they were only coming for a shoe sale. He watched as they walked out the door when suddenly, a puff of mist rose from his mouth and obscured his view. "Not **now**…" he whispered disappointedly – he'd been looking forward to seeing a movie with his friends.

He ran out of the mall without saying anything to his friends – he knew that they'd seen the mist – and disappeared into an alley to transform into Danny Phantom.

**&-X-x-x-X-&**

A dark figure had been watching from above, waiting for Danny to transform. The figure grabbed a yellow circular communicator and spoke into it. "Yes, there is an emergency in Amity and we were hoping that you Titans could help us."

"What sort of problem?" someone – obviously the leader of the group – asked from another communicator.

The figure smirked. "Inviso-Bill is attack the people of Amity Park."

Robin's eyes narrowed. He'd heard of the ghost they called Inviso-Bill. "We're on it."

"Cyborg! Beast Boy! We got a call from Vlad Masters. There's trouble in Amity, let's go!"

**&-X-x-x-X-&**

He flew upwards, passing the figure on the rooftop and turned the corner to see the Box Ghost holding a box. The box's green glowing showed that it had come from the ghost zone.

"Oh, you again! I did **not** miss the movies to deal with you!" Danny charged up an ectoplasmic field as the Box Ghost began to recite his usual introduction.

"I am the Box Ghost, master of all things cubical and cardboard! Prepare to be defeated, Danny Phantom, because **this** time, you will not be able to capture me in your cylindrical trap!"

The Box Ghost opened the box and pulled out a gun that looked like it was designed to fire ectoplasmic shots. The ghost pulled the trigger and a huge glowing green sphere sped towards Danny and threw him back at the wall, causing the ectoplasmic shot in his had to fade away.

"Ohhhh…." Danny rubbed his aching head. "W-what? How'd you…?" The Box Ghost smiled a sinister smirk as he aimed the gun at Danny again.

"I have resources and funds now! Vlad Plasmius has finally recognized the power that my cardboard containers of storage can hold! He wants **me** to bring him **you**!" Unnoticed by the Box Ghost, Danny had started to form another ectoplasmic sphere behind his back.

"I shall do as he wishes and bring you to him, and power shall be mine! I will be both the **king** of your world **and** master of all that is cubical and cardboard!" Danny brought his hand from behind his back and fired it at the Box Ghost, who was sent flying to the opposite wall.

Danny got up and wiped a drop of blood from his lip. "No, you won't," he hissed out.

Two dark figures landed on a building above the fighting pair, quickly followed by one more large bird shaped figure carrying a large human figure landing on the building on the opposite side of the alley and one last person jumping from the building next door, using a pole to propel themselves next to them at their perch.

"You don't belong here. **I** do. Go tell Plasmius that I'm not interested – the last thing I want to do is end up like **him** – and neither is my mom." He charged up another ectoplasmic blast threateningly.

"Unless, of course, I have to use the **thermos**." He grabbed the Fenton Thermos and waved it at the cowering ghost. He pulled off the cap and turned the thermos on, sucking the ghost inside.

"Foolish halfa, your cylindrical trap can not hold me! I shall escape and take my revenge! Beware! Beewwwaarrreeee…!" Danny capped the thermos with an audible sigh and turned to go back to the mall when he felt the thermos grow hot.

"Wha-?" The thermos exploded and Danny barely dropped it in time to avoid getting his hand cut up by the flying pieces of metal. "Th-that's a new one… ok, **now **I'm afraid."

"I will defeat you next time, Danny Phantom! Beware!" The Box Ghost flew off and left Danny scratching his head. Danny held up his arms, about to change back in to Danny Fenton when the five figures dropped down around his from above, three of them landed on the ground and two hovered above him, cutting off any chance of him escaping by flying.

He was trapped.

"Ok…" he said in a quiet voice, "today is **not** my day. So much for seeing that movie…" Danny crouched a bit into a defensive position and waited for them to make the first move – in a way he was doing this in the hope that they **wouldn't **attack him – but they did.

"Titans," called the masked one to his team, "attack!"

The group leapt into action, each with a different attack. The apparent leader ran at him with a metal pole, the large bird turned into a green panther and charged at him as well. The large one, who looked like he was half-robot, transformed his arm into some sort of ray gun.

Danny recognized two of them – he'd seen them in the mall. Starfire charged up something that looked similar to ectoplasmic blasts. Raven flew at him with her hands surrounded by a kind of 'black-matter', for lack of a better description.

He immediately put up a shield that covered him all around, like an ectoplasmic tent. The leader hit it with his staff as the half-robot's shot from his ray gun bounced off his shield. The ectoplasmic energy was transferred through it to him. Starfire stopped and looked to the leader with a horrified expression on her face.

"Robin!" she cried and the panther near by stopped and turned around to face his friend. He turned into a human, which Danny assumed was his true form.

"Robin! Are you ok?" asked the shape-shifter. Robin didn't reply – he'd been knocked out cold.

Another shot from the ray gun bounced off Danny's shield and brought his attention back to the fight. He saw the rebounded shot go straight back to his friend. "Cyborg! Watch out!"

Cyborg barely dodged his own shot in time to avoid getting hit. The shape-shifter morphed back into a panther and started to charge at the shield again, before he was held back by Raven's black matter that circled his body.

"Huh?" He looked up towards Raven to see her chanting.

She opened her eyes and stopped chanting, which caused the shadow around him to disappear. "Don't touch the shield," she warned him, "look what happened to Robin, and that wasn't even with direct contact."

He looked away, not wanting to meet his friend's eyes. Starfire flew up to her friends a little bit. "Beast Boy, I am forced to agree with Raven, you must sit this one out or find a way to fight Inviso-Bill without any direct contact."

As he struggled to hold up his shield, his eyes widened in realization – they weren't after 'Danny Phantom,' they were after 'Inviso-Bill.' That made a big difference – he was fighting the good guys.

"Inviso-Bill… darn it," he whispered. He raised his voice so that the Titans could hear him. "Stop! That's not my name!" A blast was sent at his shield by Starfire, weakening it just as much as any ectoplasmic blast would have. He continued to yell to them over the noises of the one sided battle. "My name's not Inviso-Bill! **I'm not evil!**"

Raven paused for about half a second before continuing to charge up and enormous mass of energy to throw at Danny's shield. "There's a new one…" she muttered, half to her self, but loud enough so that her friends could hear her.

"Yeah," agreed Beast Boy, morphing back into a human for a moment so he could use his voice, "usually the bad guys are **proud** that they're evil…"

Raven broke the moment of hesitation by hurling her own attack and flying out of they way, in case it bounced back. The attack didn't bounce back; instead, it stuck to the shield and seemed to drain it – and Danny – of power.

Danny gritted his teeth and dropped the shield and flew upward before the now unblocked attack and pulled the Fenton Thermos from its semi-usual space slung over his shoulder. He narrowed his eyes at Beast Boy and aimed the thermos at him as he removed the cap.

The familiar blue ray shot out and Beast Boy was they only Titan that didn't have a chance to jump out of the way before it reached him, but Danny payed no attention to that, only Beast Boy was a ghost, so only Beast Boy could be affected by the thermos.

Well, that was what he thought anyways. Danny had figured that even though his ghost sense hadn't gone off every time the green boy got near, he was still green. He'd figured that he must have been a ghost. Before the blue ray reached Beast Boy, Danny heard the one called Cyborg yell something along the lines of 'He stole my technology!'

The shape shifter had braced himself for impact and closed his eyes before he felt the sensation of being surrounded by what felt like spiraling wind rather that a heavy blow from a shot. He heard Cyborg laugh rudely at the attacker and shout "That's what you get for stealing my designs! Now… **this **is what energy beams are supposed to feel like!" and he fired at Danny who didn't have time to put up a shield of any kind.

Danny was slammed into a wall with a sickening thud ringing in his ears. He felt the familiar warmth at his waist and could see the blue light, tinted red from being filtered through his closed eyes. He groaned and concentrated on stopping the transformation and staying conscious. If there ever was a bad time to almost turn human, that had been it.

Beast Boy smirked and Raven raised an eyebrow. "Looks like he's only a ghost when he's awake, and he's human when he's asleep." Beast Boy nodded in agreement, preparing for another attack.

"Sound like some one else we know?" Raven inclined her head slightly, resembling some type of a nod and closed her eyes before muttering 'Azarath Metrione Zinthos' and sending a sphere of energy at Danny who'd just gotten up only to be knocked down again.

Cyborg sent another energy beam at him at the same time that Starfire threw her own energy bolt and they both hit their target hard. Danny groaned and tried to get up. Failing that, he put up an ectoplasmic shield that Raven drained just like the other one that had come before it. After being forced to drop his shield, the black matter was able to move forward and attack him directly.

It lifted him in the air a few inches above the ground as it drained his power from him and as he tried to hold on to the slippery fabric of consciousness, he whispered, "I thought… you were supposed… to be the **heroes**…"

Raven all but ignored what he's said and replied with a simple but serious "We are."

She watched along with Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire as and orb of blue energy formed at his wait, then expanded to become two rings around his body, one moved upward and one moved downwards. His black and white jump suit became jeans and a red and white t-shirt and his half-lidded eyes became blue while his hair turned black. When he was totally unconscious, Raven let him sink to the ground and turned away.

Cyborg put ghost-proof cuffs around his wrists, courtesy of Vlad Masters and put him in the T-Car between Raven and Beast Boy, so that even if he woke up, he wouldn't be able to escape. With a heavy sigh he placed his friend Robin next to him in the front of the car and set off on the long drive to the Titan Tower.

**&-X-x-x-X-&**

At the Titan Tower, Jump City, an hour and a half later

Starfire had been overjoyed when Robin woke up shortly after their arrival back home, and attempted to have a feast in celebration, but even her own heart wasn't totally in it at the moment. The fact that one of the most powerful ghosts was in their tower was found to be rather unsettling, and it didn't matter how unconscious he was or how well he was locked up, the fact was that he was still there.

They hadn't learned much from what their mysterious helper had told them. He'd supplied them with weapons and ghost fighting technology, but he told them very little about what they were going to fight. They knew he was part human and part ghost, but they had no idea about how the change would work or when or even why.

Therefore, when Vlad called to check up on them, they had a few questions to ask him. "Well… haven't you all been busy…" Robin looked up at the screen from his game of chess with Raven to see the enlarged face of someone who he assumed would be Vlad Masters.

Robin tensely nodded once, "I suppose you could say that. We've captured Inviso-Bill and we're holding him in a ghost-and-human-proof cell that Cyborg designed based on your ghost fighting technology."

Vlad frowned for a second before covering it up. "Oh, Robin, so formal. I believe I had asked you to send him to me for containment. Did I not?"

"You did. But we've been meaning to ask you why you had asked us for our assistance in capturing him. Seeing as you live so far from the town he attacks, I don't see how he is your problem. I hate to sound disrespectful, but as far as we know, we have no reason to trust you so far."

Vlad frowned again but this time wasn't able to cover it up and Robin caught it. "I have friends of mine in Amity Park and I hated to see them at risk, you must understand. Also, my home would be the most secure place in the world to keep him with all the ghost fighting technology I have acquired over the years."

Robin mentally sighed. Vlad Masters didn't seem to want to give up any of his secrets at all anytime soon. "Not anymore, the Titan's Tower is now more secure of a hold that anywhere else – your mansion included. Cyborg took the liberty of including additions to your technology." Robin pressed the button to end the conversation and was shocked to hear a familiar scream from somewhere near where their new prisoner was being held.

"Starfire!" He ran down toward the sound and the other Titans followed the sound to its source and found Danny just waking up.

"Robin! The cell has not yet been tested and he's waking up! What is the cell is not strong enough to hold him since we never got a chance to test it?" Robin was just relived that she hadn't been hurt, but she had still raised a good and discomforting point.

Robin had hated to just put Inviso-Bill in there without testing it first – it was just against his nature to put thins as important as that to chance. But they hadn't had anything or any one to test it on, so they had had to settle for seeing if the ectoplasmic shots from Vlad's guns would do any damage and they hadn't.

He put a comforting hand on her shoulder and said, "I'm sure it will work." Feeling certain that Danny would transform as soon as he woke up, he turned to watch with curiosity, having not seen it before since he'd been unconscious.

Surprisingly to all the Titans, he didn't transform, he just held his head in his hands and gritted his teeth against the powerful headache he'd gotten from all the blows he'd received earlier. To everyone else, it looked for all the world like he was having a hangover.

"Not so loud…" he grumbled "my head **hurts…**" He felt a painful shudder run up and down his spine and nearly fell over from all the pain from what little moving he'd done. "And you call yourselves **heroes…**" he spat disdainfully, glaring at them. "Aren't you supposed to go after the bad guys instead of **teaming up with them?**"

"Dude," said Beast Boy, "We're not recruiting you or anything, okay? You're just in like… ghost jail."

Danny laughed shortly. "Not me… Vlad. He's the only enemy I have who could pull off something like this. The Titans would get suspicious if a ghost recruited you to capture a ghost, the Fentons are too independent, and Valerie is too stubborn. That just leaves Vlad Plasmius… doesn't it?"

Raven rose an eyebrow. "We don't **know **a Vlad Plasmius."

"What about a Vlad **Masters**, then? Do you know him?"

Starfire hesitated before nodding in reply. "He's the same guy," Danny explained.


	2. In this room

Disclamer: Do not own!

Chapter 2

In This Room

"How are we supposed to believe you?" Robin asked. "You just attacked us. Why should we suddenly trust you?"

Danny blinked. "Um… You attacked me. I was just trying to catch a ghost… Besides… I'm the one who shouldn't trust you… Don't you get it? You were assigned to catch me by someone just like me! … Only stronger… and richer… but the point is that Plasmids is a half too! Why do you trust him, then?"

Robin didn't say anything to that and he just stared at Danny. After a moment, the half decided to break the awkward silence. "… Do you… ever emote… you know… at all? You… uh… don't believe a word I said, do you?" Robin didn't move for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't suppose I could have my cell phone back… You took it from me, didn't you?"

"Huh?" Beast Boy asked, he never remembered seeing a cell phone. "What are you-" he started, but was cut off by Robin, who held out a black cell phone with a D on the back stylized to have a P in the center.

"No, we can't have you calling anyone like Slade. You're in prison now. You may as well get comfortable, because you're probably going to be here for a long time."

"Well, by human standards anyways," cut in Cyborg. Robin put the cell phone back in his pocket with a nod and walked out, and the other followed after a few moments, and Starfire lingered for only a second before running to catch up with the others.

"… **I want my one phone call!**" They turned around to look at Danny before Robin made his way past the others back to Danny's cell and handed him the cell phone reluctantly. Danny couldn't believe that that had just worked, but held his hand out for the phone anyways, forgetting about the green glowing halfa-proof glass that was in between them for a moment.

Robin walked over to the door and cautiously opened it so that Danny had no chance of escaping in the few seconds it took him to him to get through the door. "We're watching and listening," Robin reminded him, "One call, no plots, no plans, and no escapes." He held the phone in front of him, and Danny nodded dismally before accepting the phone.

Robin walked out of the room, and settled himself in front the glass, watching as Danny held the phone out in front of him, not dialing. The other Titans had realized that this may take a while and settled them selves near the cell along with Robin and waited for a while until Beast Boy got impatient and burst out.

"Hey, what are you doing? Are you using your ghost magic to get more than one phone call or something? Just call already!" Danny glared at him.

"'Ghost magic'?" he repeated incredulously before scoffing. "I'm trying to decide who to call."

"Oh…" Beast Boy blushed slightly, then muttered, "ghost magic would have been cooler…"

"I heard that!" Danny shouted back, giving Beast Boy another look.

"What? HOW?" The rest of the Titans looked between the two like they were watching a ping-pong match – they hadn't heard Beast Boy say anything and he was right next to them.

"I'm half dead, not deaf," Danny answered before turning his attention back to the small phone in his hand. Raven raised an eyebrow and tried to reach into Danny's mind to see what he was really doing.

'_Tucker or Sam… Tucker or Sam… Tucker or-'_Danny's thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt when he felt a presence in his mind. His eyes widened and his head shot up to look at the Titans, all but one of which were shocked. '_Raven…? Are you… uh… possessing me?'_

'_No,' _she calmly thought back, _'just reading your thoughts.'_

Danny mentally let out a noise resembling a growl. _'Get __**out**__ of my head!'_

'_No.'_

'… _Is this even legal?'_

'_There's certainly no law against it, just think of it as an interrogation. Only now it's impossible for you to lie.' _She pushed further into his mind and felt Danny trying to resist her, but he made little progress and working so hard to block her out made him slump to the ground from exhaustion when she quickly crumbled his mental shields.

'_I really don't think I like you guys very much... Why is it always one phone call? If you'd just given me two, I wouldn't have you hacking my brain,' _Danny complained to her, but she ignored him. She sorted through his memories, from when he was born, to when he became a halfa, to when he met them in the alley.

'_Danny Phantom… Danny Fenton… not much for originality, are you?' _Danny gave her a mental glare.

'_Shut up.' _Raven reeled herself back into her own mind ad opened her eyes calmly to see all but one of the other Titans watching her closely, many with looks of worry on their face, but the main emotion that surrounded her was curiosity as to what she'd seen in his mind.

The only Titan that wasn't standing around her was Beast Boy, who she quickly noticed had snuck into Danny's cell and was standing over him, looking at him confusedly. Danny was crumpled on the floor with a pained expression on his features. Beast Boy had crouched down and looked like he was about to poke Danny in his side when they boys cell phone rang and Robin looked over toward the noise and saw what Beast Boy was doing.

"Beast Boy! No! Don't touch it, it's dangerous! It's probably a trap!" Beast Boy quickly jerked his hand away and reached for the phone. When he had the phone in his hand, he felt a hand try to grab it. Danny held onto the cell phone and Beast Boy stared, thinking that he had seemed to be practically unconscious a few seconds ago.

"I'm not a creepy little boy with creepy little powers," he started, remembering the time Specter had called him as 'it' as well, "and I'm not some ghost trying to fit in with humans! I'm a halfa and I want my one phone call." Beast Boy let the phone go after a moment and stood up and backed out of the room, leaving Danny alone to answer the phone.

"Hello…?" He answered cautiously praying that it was anyone but a telemarketer. What would he say if it was Jazz or his parents? What would he say if it was Sam or Tucker though? He hadn't thought of that either.

"Danny!" He felt himself smile for the first time in who knew how long when the voice on the phone changed from Sam to Tucker. Maybe he wouldn't need two phone calls after all.

"Where are you? We've got a ghost attack here towards the center of town. It's about… half a mile from your house. Get over here, man, we need you!"

"I can't…"

"**Why not?**" they both shouted into the phone at the same time.

"I was kind of captured… Surprisingly enough… it wasn't Walker **or **Skulker. These guys are smarter… or at least stronger. There's no way to escape… and if I did I'd be in trouble with the law."

There was a long pause on the other line before Tucker spoke "Tell me you mean the **ghost **law…"

Danny shook his head even though Sam and Tucker couldn't see it. "No… I told you, it wasn't Walker. Human law… I wasn't captured by ghosts at all… it was this group called the Teen Titans." He looked up at the said team.

"Then why don't you just phase out of there? Why did they even capture you in the first place?" Sam asked.

"Because Plasmius gave them halfa-proof tech so I can't… and they were arresting Inviso-Bill. Vlad put them up to it, he must have tricked them some how. The box ghost somehow managed to blow up the thermos so they must have thought I was setting him loose on the world or something stupid like that…" A quick glance at the faces on the Titans – Starfire in particular – told him immediately that he'd hit the nail on the head.

Tucker suddenly burst out laughing. "Dude, what's with your voice? You sound drunk." Danny laughed half-heartedly.

"They drained my powers in battle and now I'm exhausted. Plus one of then broke into my mind… not a pleasant experience to be honest…" he explained, sending a look at Raven, though she showed no sign of noticing.

Danny heard a sudden click and a tone and was startled. Why would his friends hang up in the middle of such an important conversation? He looked to the right of Raven and saw Robin holding some sort of remote and Danny immediately had a pretty good idea of what it was.

"Why you turn off my phone? What about my one call?"

Robin still refused to emote at all. "You were about to exceed your two minute time limit."

"What two minute time? You never said **anything **about anything even **like that**!"

"Yes, I did."

"When?"

"Just now when I hung up the phone. Come on, Titans, let's go have a meeting. We need to discuss a few things." Danny watched in shock and practical horror as they filed out, leaving him all alone after whipping away his phone. He muttered something incomprehensive about heartless people, Robin, and mind-hackers.

**&-X-x-x-X-&**

Sam and Tucker had been nervous about Danny all day, but they had supposed that Danny had gone home to rest or something and didn't want to disturb him. It wasn't long before Sam had snapped and forced Tucker to let her call Danny to see if he was okay.

The conversation had been surprising, to say the least, but she found it disturbing how he had just hung up on them in the middle of such an important call. She didn't know what to do after calling his cell phone only to find it off. The one thing she could think to do was to find out who the Teen Titans were.

She turned to her other best friend, "Tucker, you have your PDA, don't you?"

He looked at her as if she was crazy. "Why wouldn't I? Sam, when **don't** I have my PDA?"

"Tucker! This isn't the time! Danny is probably in big trouble and we need to find out who these people are! I need you to research the Teen Titans, and I'll go see what I can find about them on the computer."

"Fine… But Sam?"

"Yeah? What?"

"Don't worry. Danny's smart, and you know he can get out of almost anything. Even if he can't get out of this one, I'm sure we can help him."

"…" Sam half-smiled at him, "Thanks Tucker."

**&-X-x-x-X-&**

Upstairs, Robin started the meeting by bringing attention to Raven. "So… you went into his mind, huh?" Raven nodded once slightly. "Nice work. So what'd you see in there? Any plans we should know about? Was there any information on our ally, Mr. Masters?"

Raven nodded, moving her head no more than she had just before. "Yes… either he was telling the truth earlier… or he can alter his memories or at least what I see of them."

Beast Boy gaped. "Is that **possible**?" Raven shrugged, she had been wondering the same thing herself. But he'd also sensed her presence without her letting herself be detected. No one else had ever been able to do that before, so she had no idea what Danny was or wasn't capable of.

"I have no idea." Robin thought about it for a while before looking up. He had no idea what they should do. He scanned the other titans and saw that they were as conflicted and confused as he was.

Beast Boy coughed on purpose just to break the eerie silence. "So… uh… what do we do with it? Do we just give it to Plasmius?"

"… Him." Every one looked at Robin and Raven when they spoke at the same time.

"What?" asked Beast Boy. Robin had been the one who'd Called Danny 'it' to begin with, and Beast Boy had just been following his lead.

"Him." Robin repeated. "… I think he should be treated as a 'him' instead of an' it.' We've established the fact that he's at least half human…"

Raven nodded in agreement "Yes… he's still human… and even if half of him is as dead as any other ghost in the world, that half was human too once, I believe. Besides… you saw how reacted to being called 'it'…"

Beast Boy frowned, feeling both a bit conned by Robin and a bit guilty. He had no idea what to say except "… Yeah… sure…" He bit his lip. "So… what are we going to do with **him**? We're not going to give him to Plasmius, are we?"

Cyborg nodded his agreement before adding his two cents. "Yeah… I'm with BB on this… I've got a weird feeling about the guy, I don't know if our little ghost dude is telling the truth… but still…"

Beast Boy smirked triumphantly. "Well, of course ya do! He's name's only like one letter off from Plasmus!"

"Speaking of Plasmius…" Starfire started, "Did the 'halfa' not say that Plasmius was half-ghost as well?"

Robin nodded. "He did." He looked at Raven. "Do you think he was telling the truth?"

"I don't know," she confessed, "but he didn't seem to be lying. He was spurting things out too fast for that. He could always just have planned out a back-up story in case he was caught though. We'll probably have to investigate to find out."

Robin nodded once solemnly. "Alright. Titans, I guess that's all. I guess we should just relax now and rest up for our next battle."

Beast Boy nodded his head vigorously and pulled a grinning Cyborg over to the video game console. "Great idea, Robin! Game time!" Robin sighed and Raven shook her head before turning away and trying to meditate.

Robin turned toward one of the large window panels and stared out at Jump City and tried to filter out Raven's chants and the synthetic sounds of a car race coming from the direction of the television. He didn't have long to concentrate though, before Starfire came over to him with a large bowl of a green glob-like substance. He supposed it had to be some kind a Tameranian pudding or something like that.

He gave her a grateful half-smile before shaking his had before she could offer him any. "No thank you Star… I'm just… not hungry right now…" He smirked as he thought of a good idea to get rid of the food without hurting Starfire's feelings. He felt a momentary guilt for what he was about to do, but shooed it away by reminding himself of what the halfa had done to them.

"Why don't you go take some to the prisoner? He must be hungry… and we can't starve him… that'd be inhumane. Half ghost or not, he's still human… just like he said."

Starfire's trademark smile faltered. "But… Robin… I am afraid…"

Robin smiled at her reassuringly. "Don't worry. I think he's still weakened from today's fight. He can't hurt you… Besides, I'll even go with you. Alright Star?"

Starfire looked nervous for a minute before nodding hesitantly. "Alright…"

Robin nodded and smiled before he led her down the stairs Danny's temporary cell with her hand in his – causing her to blush even though he didn't notice.

**&-X-x-x-X-&**

Danny banged his head against a wall. This Titan's cell reminded him of Walker's prison. But he held a firm belief that he'd rather be in Walker's prison rather than where he was now.

First of all, he' had a chance of escaping Walker, but not the Titans. Also, his cell in Walker's prison had had a window that looked outside… yes the view had been miserable and of the glowing horrors of the ghost zone… but at least there **had** been a window to the outside, whether it had been bared up of not. Also the door to his cell hadn't had a mechanism that shocked him every time he so much as touched it. It wasn't even just the door knob, the whole thing was set to shock any ghostly being that touched it or even came within 2 inches of it.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before banging his head against the wall hard. "AHH!" he shouted, having just received a shock to his head. He looked up confusedly, remembering that the door was on the opposite side of the room. A second later he noticed that Starfire and Robin were looking at him through his window.

While Robin only looked mildly surprised by Danny's scream, Starfire had frozen from shock, holding Robin back with her. Their clasped hands were just out of Danny's view from the small window to the hallway that was lit by cheap lighting strips attached to the ceiling.

"What the heck was that?" Danny grumbled angrily.

Robin mentally smirked before answering. "It's another security device to keep you from trying to escape. If any being with spectral energy hits these walls, they get a shock."

Danny let his head drop and smacked his forehead with his palm. There was another reason to prefer Walker's prison – at least he could kill brain cells by banging his head against the wall to release his frustration there. "Anything **else** in this room that might be trying to shock me to death?"

Starfire decided to speak up, "Have you not already found out about the door?"

Danny sighed. "Yeah, I kinda noticed that one. Anything else?" Robin shook his head.

"Unless I'm forgetting something… but don't take my word on it. I may be wrong. Cyborg's the expert on this room, not me. He's the one who did the tech and built it, so he would know the most about it…"

"Great… nice to know that there just **might **be a couple other weapons in here that might kill me. Thanks a lot. It's nice to know that you keep these things – like how your shock therapy works – in mind. " Danny sighed then dropped his head into his knees, closing his eyes and trying to relax. "So why are you here, anyways? What do you want?"

Starfire forced a plastered grin just in case he looked up and spoke in her most polite voice. "We have brought you offerings of food. It is Tameranian Pudding, a specialty of my home planet. Would you like to partake in some so that you do not starve?"

Danny tilted his head upwards slightly and looked out of the tops of his eyes at the pair. "Home planet? You mean you're…" Robin nodded for her, "an alien…?" Starfire nodded. "O… kay…then…" He looked suspiciously from Robin to the large bowl in Starfire's hands. "… Is it poisoned?" They both shook their heads. "… And you're **sure **it's not going to electrocute me or anything…?"

"But of course it would not, why would you ask such a thing?" questioned Starfire.

"…Just checking. It seems like I can't be too sure in this place." He stood up and walked toward the window, avoiding the door by over two feet more than necessary. He looked down into the bowl that Starfire was holding, and ignored the fact that she'd taken four steps back, despite the extremely thick ghost-proof window.

"Is it green of does it just look that was because of the glass?" He tapped the green glass and felt a shock go through his hand. "OW!" He glared at Robin. "There's **another **one that you seem to have forgotten to mention."

Robin smirked. "I told you not to take my word for it. And yes, it is green. You don't have any problem with that, do you?"

Danny half-mumbled something along the lines of "with my mom's cooking, I've probably eaten worse… only she can put the 'frank' back in 'Frankenstein'…"

Starfire stared at him confusedly and he began to laugh to himself slightly at the memory of his mother's vicious hot dogs. "What do you mean? How can you talk about your own mother in such a way?"

Danny stopped laughing and stared back at her. "Huh…? What? I didn't mean it like that, I like my mom and all it's just… this one time…"

He gave up on trying to explain his supposed absurd rudeness when Starfire opened the door, shoved the somewhat food-like glop at him and slammed the door before storming up the stairs to the Titan's living room.

Robin was left behind though and Danny looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Wow… talk about mood swings, huh?"

Robin just glared at him. "Don't you ever talk to me like that again. Don't treat me like we're the same and don't act like we're friends. I'm nothing like you."

He stormed up the stairs and left Danny gaping, before the confused halfa whispered to himself "I never said we were."


	3. Ember of the Doomed

Chapter 3

Ember of the Doomed

As Robin followed Starfire's path up to the Titan's living room, he soon realized that she was long gone. He sighed and leaned against a wall and watched Beast Boy and Cyborg pound the controllers, as if they were even more engrossed in their video game than ever. Other than the fake sound of screeching cars, the room was silent. Raven had even stopped chanting in favor of practicing her ability to use mental concentration to hover and meditate.

That's why he jumped about half a foot in the air when he heard a scream of "OWWWW!" from down stairs. "… Cyborg, I think maybe you should go down stairs and fill in Danny about the security in the cell. I think he's found most of it, and I think he found another security device just now… but just so he doesn't find any more the hard way…"

Cyborg frowned. "Just a second, Robin." He smirked at Beast Boy, "Just give me a minute to finish stomping BB at his own video game…" He went back to taunting Beast Boy about the game immediately.

"Ya wanna pass me, but you can't pass me, can ya BB? Can ya? Haha! Ya just can't, cuz ya know I'm gonna win!" Cyborg imitated BB's movements with hi s own car directly in front of him of him so that he couldn't get ahead.

"Cybrog… you can beat Beast Boy at that game anytime…"

"Hey! What's that all about? Are you two ganging up on me now? Don't you think I can win just one game?" Beast Boy fumed, pounding on his game controller even more enthusiastically than before.

Robin smiled slightly at his friends back while Cyborg was having an insane fit of laughter. Beast Boy took the opportunity and barely managed to pass Cyborg while he was distracted. "Hey! No fair!"

"Haha! Who's gonna win now?"

Cyborg smirked before passing Beast Boy easily at an equivalent of almost two feet from the finish line, leaving his shape-shifting friend in tears. "Okay, so what do I have to do?"

Robin tried to become serious again, but couldn't help the slight smile since it was hard enough to avoid laughing. "Just go downstairs and explain how the room works to our prisoner, okay?"

"Sure," agreed Cyborg, "Is his name 'Inviso-Bill' or is it 'Danny Phantom'?"

Raven answered for him, "Inviso-Bill is just a stupid name the public made up for him," she continued on, ignoring Beast Boys yell of 'I'll say, I mean, talk about stupid!'. "He calls himself Danny Phantom."

"Were you able to find out what his real name is?"

"Danny Fenton… And he doesn't seem to be one for creativity either."

Beast Boy shrugged as he already started to set up another game for when Cyborg would come back. "I don't know. It could be worse. "Cyborg… well, he's a cyborg, so it's kind of obvious… and Raven, you don't even have a fake name!"

Raven scowled in his direction, which Beast Boy correctly interpreted as a cue to shut up as he shrugged and turned back to his game system. "Fine. Whatever. Go ahead and shoot the messenger then..."

Cyborg laughed as he walked down the steps towards Danny's cell.

**&-X-x-x-X-&**

"Sam, do you know how much you're distracting me? Stop trying to read over my shoulder and give me some space so I can help Danny!" Sam bit her lip and leaned over Tucker shoulder to try and see what he had so far, completely ignoring what he'd just said, but he kept turning away. After five minutes that seemed to last an eternity for Sam, he nodded and sighed before putting the pointer for his palm pilot away and shutting it off.

"Okay, I have a plan, but we have to go to Danny's house, and as weird or stupid as it may sound, you have to help me with it, alright?" Sam nodded. "I want it in writing. Everyone knows a verbal contract is only worth the paper it's written on." Sam glared at him.

"First of all, this is serious and we don't have time for this. We have to help Danny! Do you even know what you just said?"

"A little bit… Not all of it, really…"

"Tucker, come on! Just take my word for it and let's go to Danny's house. We don't have time to play games like this!" Tucker froze at her last comment. She glared at him out of the corner of her eyes, in her own way of wordlessly demanding an explanation from him.

'Actually… uh… about games…"

Sam almost growled at him out of annoyance. "Tucker… it's really a **bad **time for this… what **about **games?"

He started to fidget nervously. "Well… about playing games…" he flinched when Sam's hands began to curl into firsts. "That's kind of the whole plan."

"Explain. **Now**." She growled out. "And you'd better make it quick. And explain to me exactly why I shouldn't just find a way to just save Danny myself and put you as a prisoner in his place."

**&-X-x-x-X-&**

Cyborg knocked on the glass causing Danny to look at him from where he was leaning against the wall, examining the floor. Danny frowned. "That happy to see me, huh?" joked Cyborg.

"How come the glass doesn't shock **you**?"

"I dunno… maybe because I'm not a half ghost and it's only designed to shock things and people with ectoplasm?"

"… Oh, right. Weird… I get a whole explanation on how in works conveniently packed into one question."

"And Raven had said that ya weren't one for creativity… ha… I guess she was wrong then." Cyborg laughed lightly and half-heartedly at his own little joke. Then, seeing Danny's confused look, Cyborg answered the halfa's question before Danny had even gotten a chance to ask it. "I mean yer name. Ya know… since Danny Phantom and Danny Fenton are so close…"

Danny groaned, not needing to be reminded of the fact that his secret was out and in the hands of the group of teenagers who held him captive but didn't even know who he **really **was, but only what they'd been told about him by Vlad. Cyborg either ignored the groan or hadn't heard it, as he kept on talking.

"But, I guess that kinda makes her a hypocrite, right? I mean, it's like BB said, at least you **have **a fake name… And mine's sorta lame too, since it's kinda obvious. Since it's 'Cyborg' and I'm kinda a Cyborg…"

Danny cleared his throat when Cyborg trailed off, as he wondered if his friend was okay or if Raven had done anything too bad too him. "So uh… the door shocks me if I get too close, the window shocks me if I touch it, and the walls shock me if I hit them… anything else?"

Cyborg shrugged, "Well… for shocking you… the only ones you didn't mention are the floor and the ceiling…"

Danny sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "And how are they activated? Or are you sadistic enough to rather watch me find out too?"

Cyborg shrugged. "They're activated by jumping down or by hitting the ceiling. And Robin's not so bad when you're his friend. He's actually a really cool guy when you actually know him. Plus, Robin's really loyal to his friends and everything. He's the type to do just about anything to save his friends, and I'd do the same for him, and I'm pretty sure the other's would too."

"Yeah… friends…" Danny mumbled quietly, slowly nodding his head. "I know the feeling, I guess I'm kind of the same way…"

"Really… cuz villains aren't really known for their loyalty, as far as I've seen." Danny looked back at him with anger flashing in his eyes, but since his power was drained, they only became a mixture of blue and green, instead of completely changing. Cyborg couldn't see it, but Danny's eyes were also slightly damp with hurt at his words.

"I'm not evil, and I'd never double cross my friends."

Cyborg smirked, still not noticing how upset Danny looked. "Ha ha! You really think yer smart, don't ya, but I know better! Raven said ya went against yer friends once! And uh… why'd you betray them to join a gothic circus?"

"Freakshow…" Danny mumbled.

"What?"

"I was brainwashed, it wasn't my fault, but I stopped it all in the end and saved my friends, didn't I? Or did she just not bother to tell you those parts of the story?" Danny stared at the floor before sighing and sitting down with his legs folded.

Cyborg didn't know what to say for a moment. "… I guess she didn't know the whole story since you kicked her out of your mind… Not that I can really blame ya… It must be really creepy havin some one looking in yer head…"

Danny laughed. "You have no idea… it's almost like being possessed, so at first I thought that she was trying to over shadow me…"

"Ya mean… the Danny Phantom side of ya is just some ghost that over shadows you from time to time? Now **that **is really kinda freaky." Cyborg shuddered; not really wanting to know what having your mind read or being possessed would feel like.

"No… The Danny Phantom side is a part of me… or maybe I'm a part of him… I really don't know. But we're the same person… ghost… being… type… see what I mean by not knowing? All I can tell is that we're like one body, one spirit, mind, will and everything… but with two faces I guess. … And one has cool powers while the other one is just a **looser** in a cage…"

Cyborg couldn't look Danny in the eye, so even though the halfa wasn't even looking in his direction, he diverted his attention to the floor any ways. " That sounds really harsh… how do you deal with all that?"

"Yeah… it really can be harsh sometimes," he admitted, "especially since a lot of people think I'm evil… but as long as there are ghosts like the box ghost… and misplaced aggression to put on them when they start trying to attack people… it gets a little easier every day…"

"I'm just not going to ask about the misplaced aggression thing… but a box ghost? Is he really…?"

Danny smiled slightly. "Yeah, he really is as lame as he sounds… he mostly throws boxes at you… and anything he finds inside them, but he's really not so bad… he's like a living target practice, I guess…"

"Ya know…" started Cyborg, "for a city's 'public enemy number one,' yer pretty cool… I think ya'd like BB if ya got to know him…"

"Well…" Danny lifted his head and looked at Cyborg, "for a sadistic shock-happy cyborg… you're pretty cool too."

**&-X-x-x-X-&**

"Okay…" Tucker started nervously. "You see… remember how great you are at that game… 'Doomed'?" Sam nodded impatiently, signaling for him to continue. "Well… you remember what the prize was, right?" Sam nodded again.

"Full unlimited access to the World Wide Web, right?" Tucker smiled.

"Exactly. With that unlimited access, we can shut down the power in the Titan's Tower. With the power shut off, I'm pretty sure that the halfa proof cell won't be able to prevent Danny from escaping as a ghost."

"Oh, come on Tucker, I'm sure they have a back up generator. It wouldn't work."

"Yeah, I know, but the back up generator should take about five minutes or so to kick in, giving Danny five whole minutes to go intangible and fly out. I'm sure he can do it easily." Sam nodded and grabbed Tucker's wrist, pulling him in the direction of the door outside.

"Alright, let's go! We need to win all 9 levels and help Danny. We don't have time to waste by just walking!"

**&-X-x-x-X-&**

Meanwhile in the ghost zone, Technus was trying to gather all he technology he could. "Beware, Ember," he shouted in his usual annoying voice, "and tremble before my might as I will some day soon be your leader! Surrender your technological music-making device to me so that I may conquer you as well as the rest of the entire ghost zone along with you, with that as my weapon!"

Ember frowned before strumming a note on her guitar, sending him flying back wards. "No way grandpa, this things mine. So get lost."

"Foolish child, you shall never defeat me For I am Techn-!" She ignored him and played another note, sending him further away and knocking him out.

"Old enough for you, grandpa? Looser…" she mumbled, "Groanies like him will never change." She put her guitar behind her shoulder, so it hung behind her back before she noticed some thing swirling and green nearby where Technus had appeared. "Hm? So what's this?"

She stuck her head into it, and was greeted with a view of several trees with broken views of Amity Park between them. "Oh ho… so **this** is how he appeared out of no where… maybe the fool wasn't totally useless after all… I'll figure out how he did it later. But for now… I'm craving a little revenge on a certain halfa, and I've got just the plan to help me do it."

**&-X-x-x-X-&**

Sam and Tucker snuck through the door into Danny's house, and were lucky enough to find the living room, the kitchen, and the basement all empty. Being careful to be quiet in case the Fentons were upstairs, they walked quietly to the basement and closed the door softly behind them.

"Okay, so… why exactly do we need to be at Danny's house to play 'Doomed'?"

"Sam, isn't it obvious? He had the Fenton helmet, which he's already proven we can use as a telepathic game controller, right? And we want to win nine levels in one try as quickly as possible… face it, we're going to need all the help we can get." Tucker ran towards the computer and grabbed the odd helmet, "I call the helmet!" He shouted.

She sighed and walked up to him putting her hand out. "Let's review, shall we, Tucker? Who's the one who beat you every time we played against each other?"

"You are…" Tucker mumbled, already seeing what she was leading too.

"Who's the better player who you and Danny spent hours and days trying to fight together to beat online before you guys even found out who 'chaos' was?" She smiled at the memory of the looks on their faces when they'd found out.

"Well… You are…"

"And who has all the cheat codes and special powers known to every gamer, along with a few of her own secret ones that only she knows?"

"You are…"

"So who should get the helmet?"

"You should…" He mumbled disappointedly, desperately not wanting to give up the helmet to Sam, despite all the evidence.

"Exactly," she beamed, finally managing to pry the helmet out of her friend's tightly clutching hands. "So I get the helmet, because I could wipe the floor with you when it comes to doomed, with or without the helmet."

Sam put on the helmet and sat in front of the computer as she started it up. Tucker sat at the computer next to her with a heavy disappointed sigh, which went completely ignored. Sam started up 'Doomed' a moment after the computer had finished starting up, with toned computer reflexes.

"It's almost sad how fast you're able to do that…" said Tucker, not looking up from his own computer screen as he started up 'Doomed' as well with either equal or possibly faster reflexes.

"Hypocrite…" she mumbled, as she entered her user name, email, and password. "Alright Tucker, level one…try not to get stomped by an amateur this early in the game, okay?" Tucker glared at his computer screen, not bothering to take his eyes off the screen to glare at her.

"Shut up…"

**&-X-x-x-X-&**

"Ya know, Danny…" started Cyborg, "I'm not sure if that was a compliment or an insult… and that 'sadistic shock-happy' part, dude… ya got me **all** wrong."

Danny shrugged "Well, it was a compliment, I'm just telling you how things look from where I'm standing… er… sitting. Besides, I'm not sure if what **you **said was a compliment or an insult either, so that kind of makes up even, right?"

"Thanks then, I think… I'm still a little bugged by the whole 'shock-happy' thing… I was just making what Robin told me to make… and… I guess mine was… kinda a compliment too…"

Danny smiled. "In that case… thanks. Thank you. You really are kinda cool…for some one who put me in a cage…" Danny looked away again, in favor of looking at the wall. Cyborg reminded him only slightly of Tucker – Cybrog was a lot stronger and a lot bigger, and probably a lot smarter – but they were both great with technology.

He had to have been great at technology to build the room he'd been locked in. As little as it was, it was enough to draw Danny to him as a potential friend, whether he was his captor or not.

"So…" Danny said, still not looking back towards Cyborg, "what makes you say Beast Boy and I would get along so well?"

"I don't know…" Cyborg admitted, "I just get the feeling that if ya gave eachother a chance, you'd see that we're not so different from you, other than the being evil part--"

"—I already told you that I'm not evil! **Not evil**!" Interrupted Danny, but Cyborg plowed on talking about Beast Boy as if there hadn't even been an interruption at all.

"And Beast Boy would see that other than that you're kinda like him too. I really dunno, but I just have a feeling about this… The two of ya would be cool together. Here, I'll prove it. Do ya like video games?"

Danny nodded, "yeah…"

"Beast Boy is in love with his video games. See? Ya got something in common already." Cyborg couldn't resist smiling in pride at his own wit in comparing the two of them. He put up a finger and prepared to think of other things that he thought Danny and Beast Boy would be able to relate on.

The chance to continue was stolen from Cyborg, however, when an alarm went off and Danny groaned. "What'd I do now? Am I gonna get shocked for whatever I did this time too?"

Cyborg shook his head and looked up the stairs, suddenly alert. "No… it's the alarm. It means there's something goin on somewhere in Jump City. And since we're the Teen Titans, it's our job to stop whatever's happenin." He started up the stairs before he paused and turned to Danny for a moment.

"I'll be back later, kay Phantom? Then I'll finish explaining any questions ya have about the room." He didn't wait for an answer before he continued to run up the stairs.

It took Danny a moment to get over even the small shock of being called 'Phantom' for the first time. But he was able to shrug it off after a moment, but by that time Cyborg had already disappeared up the stairs as he ran to his friends.

He sighed and leaned back against the wall, wondering what on Earth he was going to do and whether of not trying to escape from the Titans was even an option.

**&-X-x-x-X-&**

Sam was up to level eight when something burst into the lab, the small explosion causing her to fall off her chair, which then caused the helmet to fall off her head.

"Well…" A voice purred from the new hole in the wall. "Look who I found…"

"What do you want, Ember?" Tucker yelled angrily at her.

"It's simple really… if going after all the adults won't work, and going against the all the kids of this city won't work, and going after **him **won't work… then I'll just have to try hitting him where it hurts. His friends."

"I'm not going to let you take Sam!" Tucker shouted, moving in front of her, trying to play the hero for a change. "You'll have to get past me first!"

"Tucker, shut up! Who said she was going to take **me **any ways?" Sam hissed to him as she sat up and immediately searched around for the helmet to make sure that their advantage in the game hadn't been broken. She sighed in relief when she found it unharmed, sitting only about three feet behind her.

"Hm…" Ember smirked. "What an interesting idea…" she mused, before turning the knob on her guitar. "I was planning on taking you, since you're his friend…" she played a note and Tucker was knocked out of the way. "But if she's really that precious to the ghost kid, then I'd rather take her. She might be more useful."

Sam moved the helmet to the table and stuck it behind the computer where it could be seen, but couldn't be harmed by Ember's guitar. She made sure to move just quickly enough as well as just slowly enough so that Ember didn't notice just incase she recognized it's importance and decided to destroy it.

She turned the light blue knob again and played a different chord instead to knock Sam unconscious. "That's it… come along nice and easy so your little dipstick boy friend can save you, okay?" She grabbed Sam and slung her arm over her shoulder. "I think you'll do just fine as bait."

She cooed to Sam sarcastically as she threw down her shouldered her guitar again and, turning intangible, flew out of the basement and towards the center of town with Sam.

**&-X-x-x-X-&**

Predictably, Cyborg was easily able to reach the top of the stairs without even breaking a sweat or running out of breath, like most people would after running up five stories. "What's goin' on?" he asked the other Titan's who started leaving as soon as he'd reached them. "What's the mission?"

"Amity Park again, only this time it's another ghost," Robin answered. "The mayor as well as the ghost hunters decided that since we defeated the other ghost, we can defeat this one as well."

"And afterwards," Starfire chirped happily and excitedly, "we may return to the mall of shopping to go to the sale of shoes that we missed earlier! Isn't that right, friend Raven?" Starfire beamed with excitement as she spoke and even went so far as to hug herself in her happiness.

"Sure. Whatever," Raven answered shortly, as she pulled her hood up to cover her eyes. "Let's just go."

"You mean we're taking the T-car? But that'll take too long!" Cyborg pointed out.

"Yeah, he's right! We should've just tele-whatever-she-said-ed last time too!" Beast Boy agreed, just noticing the obvious.

"No," Raven sighed, "I'm teleporting us."

"Well why didn't you just do that **last time **so I wouldn't have to waste time listening to Beast Boy ask me if we were there yet so many times!"

"It wasn't an emergency and it would have been a waste of energy," Raven monotoned, now let's go."


	4. Signal: SOS

Disclaimer: Do not own!

Chapter Four

**Signal: S.O.S.**

"Okay…"Tucker mumbled, pushing himself slowly off the ground. "Danny's captured, Sam's hostage…. What the heck do I do now?" He gritted his teeth against the pain that coursed through his sore muscles and stood up as steadily as he could at the moment, which happened to be so shaky that he was forced to grab the desk.

That's when he saw it. The Fenton helmet was unharmed and wedged between the computer and the wall. Realizing that Sam must have put it there, he sat on the ground using his knees for support so that he could use both hands. He pulled it out carefully and examined it slowly, unable to discover a single scratch anywhere on its surface.

"Alright… both my friends are missing in action, and I'm the only one who can save them…" he glanced at the computer and felt a wave of relief wash over him as he saw that Sam's character hadn't been attacked. It seemed as though even random people online wouldn't stoop so low as to hit an unmoving target.

"So it's time to play 'Doomed' to save the day… this is so ironic, it's disturbing…" He sat down in her chair and put on the helmet. "But… she's already on the last level and there's only one key left… so… looks like I can do this…"

**&-X-x-x-X-&**

"Whoa…" mumbled Beast Boy, as the black orb that'd been surrounding them flickered away and he step into the middle Amity Park. "That was **really weird**… I'm… I'm **glad** we didn't tele-whatever last time… Whoa… dizzy…" he barely managed to finish before running to a trash can and throwing up in it.

Raven made a face. "Okay. Ew…"

"Friend Raven, that was a most unusual experience! Many thanks for sharing it with us!" Starfire cheered happily. Raven just rose an eyebrow at her.

"You're not dizzy too…?" she asked, and Starfire shook her head enthusiastically. "Okay then… there's one less trashcan to find…" she looked at the other Titans (minus Beat Boy). "And how about you guys…? You're not sick to, are you…?"

Cyborg shook his head and hit his stomach with his fist. "Stomach of Steel!" he joked, and Raven rolled her eyes.

"And Robin…?"

"A little dizzy, but I'm fine." He looked over his shoulder at Beast Boy. "As soon as Beast Boy's done, then we can go and find out what's causing all the damage here…"

"And what about a plan?" Starfire asked Robin, floating over to him as well as mirroring Raven's exact thoughts.

"We don't even really know quite what we're up against… we make a plan when we do. It's not like we have anything to work with yet. We'll find out the ghost's powers, then weakness hopefully, and work from there, okay?"

"… Alright…" Raven answered for the other Titans.

**&-X-x-x-X-&**

Tucker grabbed the last key and ran to the gate, barely dodging every shot that went his way. One at a time, he took each of the keys and inserted them into the locks, not pausing like they had last time with the last one to savor the moment. That'd been a fatal mistake last time, and he couldn't afford to start over.

The gate door opened and long black tendrils pulled him into a glaring light, like living ropes. Tucker had to admit that as cliché as the scene was; it was almost terrifying even though he was only watching it happen to a virtual character.

Even so, he smiled. "I'm in."

He didn't waste time before passing by all the knowledge of the Internet and all of its secrets (even though it made him literally whimper in emotional pain) and heading straight toward the area where the security systems were kept. It only took him a few minutes before he found a system shaped like a large, glowing blue T.

"Not exactly subtle… this just makes my job easier…" he mumbled. "This'll only take a second," he smirked.

Surely enough, after about ten seconds of key combinations and code, the entire security code was laid in front of him, no longer encrypted and ready for alterations.

**&-X-x-x-X-&**

Vlad stood in front of the Titan's building in Jump City, looking cross. He flew up to their living room and phased inside. Finding the main control computer easily, he filed through its systems, trying to find a way to cut the power so he could phase inside and capture Danny for himself.

He found the system quickly, but not before stumbling over a virus named 'FryerTuck' and deleting it. He needed the Titan's systems to be working perfectly, or his plans for the future wouldn't work. His pawns needed to be in perfect condition when the time for their use came.

He cut the power and immediately phased through the floors to find Danny's cell.

**&-X-x-x-X-&**

Danny changed into his Phantom form to entertain himself so he didn't die of boredom, as well as to make sure 'going ghost' wouldn't get him electrocuted.

When he didn't feel the jolts going through his body, he let out the breath he'd hardly noticed he'd instinctively held in. Turning back human to save energy, he sat down against the wall cautiously making sure not to move to fast and end up hitting the wall. He closed his eyes and sighed.

He felt his eye twitch on it's own accord, and suddenly felt that something was wrong, like there was some kind of sudden shift in the air. He opened his eyes and blinked several times.

He wasn't suddenly **blind**, was he…? He waved a hand in front of his face. No… the power was dead. The walls weren't glowing, so did that mean…?

He stood up and said his battle cry in a whisper, which actually defeated the purpose… but he didn't think he had time to think about that.

With his vision sharpened slightly then, he could see the outline of his hand fade away as he turned it intangible and reached for the wall. His hand moved through the wall as if it wasn't even there.

For a moment, he felt as shocked and excited as he had the first time he'd learned about his powers before he turned the rest of his body intangible and pushed himself off of the ground.

**&-X-x-x-X-&**

Vlad cursed when he got to Danny's cell and found it empty. The boy was getting smarter – he'd discovered his opportunity to escape sooner than Vlad had expected him to. Even so, he still had a chance to capture the halfa.

Obviously, Vlad reasoned, he was returning to Amity Park. And so that was where Vlad was going too.

**&-X-x-x-X-&**

Paulina twirled a thick lock of dark brown hair around her finger and let out a laugh that filled the café where she sat with her friends. "Ohh my gosh! Did you hear what happened to Joey during lunch?" she squealed.

"Oh, no!" Squealed one of her followers in return. "What happened?"

"Well," she raised her hand to her mouth and giggled breathily over the tips of her fingers. "You know that tarantula that Danielle brought in for science…?" Her followers nodded obediently. "Well… it escaped." She waved her other hand and they gasped on the trained cue. "Sooo… It found it's way to the lunch room and to Joey!" She waved her hand again and they gasped again.

"I know! So, it found it's way to Joey and it, like, sat on him, on his pants, and you can like, **totally** guess where, but I won't say!" The girls giggled and the boys grimaced. "So he was running down the hallway with the spider you-know-where and like… screaming 'get it off, get it off!' So Mrs. Shigrue had to help him get it off! Like, you know… the tarantula, down **there**, with, like, her bare hands!"

She had just started to nod to cue her followers to laugh when a large hole was blown in the roof. Everyone's gazes shot upwards as a familiar voice growled at them "Where the heck is that ghost kid?" Ember growled.

If Paulina had been conscious instead of fainted from shock, she probably would have done one of two things. One thing she would have done would have been faking feeling totally blaze and made some kind of comment to let Ember know she was no longer the 'in' thing. However, many times more likely, she would have wet herself and run away screaming.

Sam was still struggling from where Ember had her captured under her arm. "Let me…" she tried to punch Ember, but missed due to her awkward position, "Go!"

"Not a chance. Even without my spell, you're still hopeless lovebirds, even if you deny it. He'll come for you, it's obvious. And even if he doesn't love you," she shrugged, "he'll still try and save his friend. Either way, he comes."

Sam started to protest and struggled to escape even more, and Ember charged a small ectoplasmic sphere around two of her fingers the size of a golf ball (the largest charge her powers allowed her to create without using her guitar). Without pausing, she pressed her fingertips to Sam's temple, which caused the girl to pass out. "He'll come for you, I know it."

"Dammit," Ember spun around at the familiar voice, "Am I really that predictable?" Danny Phantom was sitting as he hovered in the air, only about three feet behind her.

"So you've finally come, have you?" she asked, completely ignoring his question. "You think you can beat me, right? Who do you think you are, Danny? **This time** you can't beat me. My powers have changed – they're better. I'm stronger. I don't **need **fans anymore, no one has to chant my name." Ember laughed and dropped Sam carelessly on the floor, floating in between her and Danny.

"I don't really care," he replied bluntly. "All I need to know here is this: I'm the guy who's gonna mangle you…" He charged up an ectoplasmic blast, "for what you did to Sam!" He threw the blast at her and it grazed her arm as she dodged the majority of the blow.

"Heh…" Ember adjusted her guitar over her shoulder, "just as always… You're still the same kind of weakling that rises to the occasion for a friend in need, right?" She turned the blue knob without sparing him a glance before she suddenly looked up and glared at him sharply. "I never really **could** stand that about you."

"Oh yeah?" He tried to distract her as he tried to circle around, switching from offense to defense automatically. Perhaps, he reasoned, if he could get her distracted like Technus, he could trap her in the thermos off-guard.

"Yeah. Blasted annoying, you know that? Exactly the type of mortal I hate the most."  
Danny was surprised when he noticed that she wasn't trying to keep an eye on him – his distraction wasn't working. He paused in his circling and she whipped around to look at him the second he stopped.

The cynic grin on her face reminded him forcibly of a cat who'd just cornered a very pitiful and doomed rat. He could almost see the fangs gleaming before his eyes.

She turned the knob on her guitar and sent another blast his way, and this time he didn't manage to dodge. He was sent backwards and had to bend over with his hands on his knees for a minute in order to catch his breath. Danny muttered a light curse under his breath and coughed before he stood upright again, circling to the right this time.

Ember laughed and the sadistic grin spread evilly. "So this is it, huh? **This** is how I'm supposed to defeat the 'great halfa'?" He stopped for a half of a second, before moving in the opposite direction.

"What do you mean?" he asked carefully.

"Are you just going to scurry around like a rat while I shoot at you?" A wave of hotheaded anger rose back in Danny's throat and mind, and he was about to shout out when something occurred to him. That was exactly what Ember wanted to happen. She wanted anger to overtake patience and for him to lose his anger.

It was always easier to defeat a target when it had been blinded by rage. He swallowed his pride and shook his head to clear it. He took refuge in the moment where he was her stiffen and pause in shock. She'd been waiting for the outburst.

Noticing that she was slowly beginning to lose her advantages, she floated higher, intending to attack downwards, but was shocked when Danny dove down below and behind her. She turned around only just in time to see him grabbing Sam and turning her intangible.

He phased her through the steel door into another room, where he felt that she would be safe, at least temporarily. He turned back to Ember and brought out the thermos, aiming it roughly in her direction before removing the cap and trapping her inside. He returned the thermos to its usual place – strapped to his back behind him – and turned intangible again.

He grabbed Sam and carried her as he flew her back to her house.

&-X-x-x-X-&

Somewhere on the edge of the town of Amity Park, Vlad Plasmius was not quite ready to give up his hunt for the only other known halfa in the world. Raising him self higher from the ground, it wasn't long before he spotted a figure soaring recklessly through the air, not far from the center of town.

He flew directly to it, phasing through buildings rather than swerving around them, resulting in sending a chill into any the people he passed through.

Danny Phantom had just returned when he heard something unusual. He actually began to feel a presence before he heard or saw it coming. As soon as he sensed it, he snapped his head in its direction, only to come face-to-face with his second-to-worst enemy.

And it was surprisingly accurate to say that Vlad Plasmius was a very, even dangerously close second to his future self.

As far as Danny could tell, the man had just showed up from no where, _perhaps from some divine power out of spite_, he pondered. He turned and clenched a fist, concentrating his energy towards it as he glared at the older man and felt the prickle of his power surround it.

Another fight was almost more than he could handle. Despite that he had an average amount of physical energy, he was mentally exhausted more than he'd ever been before. It was his stamina had left him suddenly and left him high and dry in a time of need.

Vlad laughed "Now, Danny… there's not really any need to bristle like that, now is there?" Vlad charged and threw an ectoplasmic blast, but Danny managed to block it by forming his own energy charge into a shield. Danny countered the attack by throwing another shot from his other hand and sliding to the left.

Vlad flew at him and Danny dove downwards and in the opposite direction, turning around to throw an attack at Vlad from time to time, when he could afford to. When he wasn't trying to hit Vlad, he was trying to navigate through a shower of Vlad's own shower of attacks.

When he ran out of strength to fight, he landed on the ground normally and stood still for a moment, trying to catch his breath. He swayed slightly before his knees gave out from beneath him and he fell to a kneeling position on the sidewalk's pavement. Taking a deep breath, he tried to think straight.

He was lightheaded and felt an odd sensation stretching all the way from his stomach to his feet that were folded beneath him. He felt a bit like he was floating, but it was different – he could only describe it as walking on air. Danny took a deep breath and his mind cleared a bit, helping the mental fog to disappear slightly.

Unfortunately, the only somewhat coherent thought running through his head was '_What would Batman do?'_ He took another deep breath, greedily gulping air into his lungs, and was shocked when an answer actually came to him. Danny pushed himself up slowly and carefully, no overly surprised when he heard Vlad land behind him.

As soon as he was finally standing upright, he put his arms up above his head, spreading them apart a bit and using his energy to form a charge. He ignored Vlad behind him, closed his eyes, and felt the power flow, expand, and gather between his hands.

He shot the energy upwards as far as he could in to the sky, as high and directly above him as possible, where it grazed the area a few stories above the tallest buildings around.

Vlad, furious, flung a shot at the back of his head, causing him to drop his hands and fall to the ground immediately, as his eyes widened in shock. He didn't know what he'd been expecting, but that hadn't been it. The halfa only had enough time to put his arms out in front of him before he collided with the ground.

&-X-x-x-X-&

On the other side of town, the Teen Titans were staring at the spot in the sky as the green light faded away. Beast Boy was the first to recover from surprise. He blinked. "That's-…" he trailed off, still staring at the sky.

Robin finished for him. "That's him. There's no mistaking it – that's Phantom." Starfire gave him a confused look.

"But Phantom is still at the tower… we came here to catch another ghost, did we not? Did the mayor not tell us that she was called 'Ember'?" Cyborg and Beast Boy nodded in confused agreement, and Raven remained still and silent, still watching the same patch of air, as if waiting for another signal.

"I thought so, but… just think about it… that's gotta be him…" Cyborg mused, turning to his teammate. "Right, Robin?"

Robin paused for a long while before he nodded slowly. "Well, it seems like him, but technically it doesn't really matter who it is." Almost all of the other Titans looked at him in shock, but he didn't seem to notice. "We came here to catch a ghost for the mayor, right? Either it's Phantom and we have o recapture him before he can cause too much damage, or it's this 'Ember' ghost we're looking for and we capture **her **like we'd **promised **to."

Raven nodded, finally tearing her gaze away from the sky. "He's right. Either way, we accomplish something important." She looked back at the sky again. "I just can't help wondering why they would have sent a signal up like that. It didn't look like it was from a battle – it was to direct, to focused straight up." She bit her lip. "Do you think it could be some kind of trap?"

Robin shook his head. "It's possible, but I doubt it. Even if it is, we still have to try."

Robin pulled out his staff, Beast Boy transformed into a bird, Cyborg got ready to run, and Starfire and Rave hovered before they sent off towards where the signal had come from -- each of them traveling their own way.

&-X-x-x-X-&

Danny thought he'd been knocked out, but opened his eyes a second later to see that he was wrong and that no time had passed. Vlad was still approaching him slowly – he could hear the unmistakable footsteps coming towards him. No mater how unnerving the idea was, he didn't feel like he had the energy to move and stayed still.

When Vlad reached him, he kneeled down beside the younger boy and placed a glowing hand on his back. He started to drain the halfa's powers, mixing green with pink in a sickly color. Danny could feel the energy being drained out of him, and felt himself flickering slightly between forms.

It wasn't long before he drifted into unconsciousness.

Even unconscious, he refused to return to his human form somehow, stubbornly holding on to his powers with an iron grip. Vlad wasn't startled in the least when he heard five figures land behind him, and he happily noted the way the landed one at a time had made them so much easier to count without looking.

He took his hand off of Danny's back and the glowing faded away, being absorbed into him like water with a dry sponge. Standing up and turning around with his hands at his sides, Vlad smirked and the Titans leveled him with a set of stiff glares. The older halfa answered unflinchingly with an equal gaze and his upper lip twitched, curling his smirk even higher.

"Give us the boy," Raven spoke with an eerie calm in her voice, but Vlad didn't move. She tried again, but it was obvious to those who knew Raven, that her patience was being tested dangerously. "Step away from Phantom right now…" He didn't answer with his voice. Instead of using his words, he resorted to violence, and Starfire was secretly sure that his old preschool and kindergarten teachers would have been **very** disappointed.

Instead, he raised his hand with his palm out, facing the Titans with an attack they'd learned all too well after their first fight with Danny. They dove out of the way immediately, some of them diving to one side, and others jumping to the other.

Robin was the first to regain his coordination and immediately put it to use by throwing himself at Vlad, holding his staff at the ready in front of himself. Starfire followed immediately after, and on the opposite side of the alley, she turned away from the building he's been about to crash into and headed for him instead.

Cyborg and Beast Boy were about to attack next when Vlad put up a shield that caused them to pause, caused Robin and Starfire to freeze in place, barely avoiding it, and caused Raven to break her concentration. Cyborg countered the defense by raising his newest weapon – which Vlad had given them himself – and aimed it at him.

Vlad took note of their skill, but was far from in awe at it. They may have been more skilled fighters, but they certainly did not have his powers, and no matter how well they fought together, they couldn't collaborate enough to be the same as one person.

It absorbed his shield, but his calm demeanor remained unfazed and he dodged the attack that Robin sent his way the moment his ectoplasmic wall was gone. Everyone was so preoccupied with the fight that they failed to notice when Danny's eyes cracked open and he rolled over with a groan.

He didn't open his eyes immediately, but he could hear a loud raucous of shots and clangs with the shuffling of feet beneath all of it. When he did look, he both saw and recognized the cause immediately.

The Teen Titans were fighting against Vlad, throwing an unimaginable array of different attack that he dodged from his many yeas of practice. What he couldn't dodge phased through him when he turned intangible. They continued to attack him, and he was slightly surprised at how expertly they targeted any point he left even slightly open for just a second, but the surprise never reached the expression on his face.

Danny pushed himself up carefully and slowly. The first thing he felt was panic. He was in public and he'd been passed out, which he figured must have meant that he'd transformed in public. It wasn't until he saw his hand that the panic started to thin out and fade. It was white and gloved the way it always was in his ghost form.

Without giving him self time to think, he took a few strands of hair and pulled hem over his eyes, seeing that it was also white. He sighed in relief before he noticed the minor aches that stretched from his head to his feet and winced. He bit his lip and stood up, prepared to help the Titans fight Vlad.

Before he could get with four feet of the fight, he had to stop dead in his tracks to avoid having his air supply cut off.

Robin had removed himself from the fight for a moment, intending to "protect" his teammates from the infamous Phantom. He had the end of his staff held an inch away halfa, aimed at dead center so that if he took a step forward he would cut off his own air supply.

Danny was – to understate the situation dramatically – surprised if not just angry. After all, he'd been about to help them. Besides, the glare that Robin was sending him from the other end of the metal staff didn't seem to show much room for discussion or any kind of explanations.

"Stay away from this," he half-hissed. "We'll deal with **you** later."

'_Never explain – your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway.' – Elbert Hubbard_


	5. Almost Free: One Chance

Disclaimer: Do not own!

Chapter Five

**Almost Free: One Chance**

Danny couldn't help but stare sardonically at the staff at his neck for a moment. When Danny finally looked up, Robin felt himself raise an eyebrow at the somehow callous demeanor that Phantom had suddenly taken on. "What's so amusing?"

He was torn between sighing and smiling, so he ended up doing both. He turned his hand intangible and waved it through the metal pole a couple times. Raising his hand in front of himself and turning it back to normal, he grinned sheepishly and shrugged. "Sorry to disappoint, but I think it's gonna take more than that to stop me from helping."

The pole shifted a bit as Robin got a tighter grip on it. His eyes narrowed darkly behind his mask.

"Don't worry. We've got more than that. Vlad Masters gave us way more than enough ghost fighting weapons than we'd need to beat you."

Danny glared at him. "Think about it. There's Vlad Masters, who's involved in… eh, ghost things" he motioned to the halfa the other Titans were fighting, "and there's Vlad Plasmius who's **also** involved in ghost things… Can it get anymore obvious? How many other Vlads do you know?"

Robin tilted the pole higher up, towards the vulnerable area below Danny's chin, and the halfa stepped back instinctively. "That doesn't change the fact that you were trying to help him."

He was shocked for a moment by the accusation. After the surprise wore off, he silenced Robin with his hand, tilting his head and sending him an odd half-smile. "You really are… an idiot…."

Robin decided he'd heard enough, stepping forward and aiming the pole towards Danny's stomach. Danny didn't have enough time to turn intangible and dodged instead only barely catching the smallest end of the attack.

Danny took the first opportunity he found – a short hole in Robin's defenses that came right after the pole went by – and dodged around him, rushing closer to the part of the alley where the Titans were fighting Vlad. The other Titans looked at him warily, but made no move to fight him, since they were already too preoccupied with Vlad Plasmius. Cyborg almost ran him into a wall when he was knocked back by an ectoplasmic blast, but Danny held his shoulders and turned them both intangible.

Instead of crashing through the wall like he'd expected to, Cyborg opened his eyes just in time to watch as he sailed through it.

The most disturbing part of it for him, however, was the fact that he was invisible.

It didn't last long though, as he saw his body reappear right after he fell through. He landed on top of the ghost kid.

He jumped up, looming over the halfa immediately. His eyes were shut as if he was knocked unconscious again. Cyborg kneeled down before looking around for an exit as he clicked on his communicator. "Robin, I got the ghost kid!" He yelled. "How do I get outta here?" He waited a minute, but got no answer from Robin's end.

Danny cracked one eye open and stuck his tongue out at him. "That's no way to treat me. I just helped you, ya know."

Cyborg frowned. "It doesn't change the fact that you're wanted for terrorizing this place for a year."

"It's actually closer to eight and a half months," he corrected, and Cyborg gave him a look that plainly showed that he didn't care. "And it's not true. I was **getting rid **of the ghosts who were terrorizing the town."

"That's not what the rest of the town says."

He waved a dismissive hand over his shoulder, near his head. "Details, details. It's all a misunderstanding!" He winked and Cyborg rolled his eyes. "Besides there are some people that like me."

"They're all teenagers."

"So are you," he shot back. "So are we."

"That's different."

"…Eh, not really…"

"Besides, it's their words against the mayor's." Danny was about to interject when he finished but adding, "and he was kidnapped and help hostage." He gave the halfa a pointed look. "By you."

Danny glared back. "That wasn't me. Another ghost took over my body and set it up."

Cyborg scowled and creased his forehead. "I'm not stupid, man." He sighed and the scowl faded, if only slightly. "You don't have to lie to my face like that."

Danny opened his mouth to insult him again, then paused to think a moment and closed it. "But," he started again, "you do keep hunting the wrong guy."

"It your word against the law, Phantom. Let it go, just cuz we can follow laws doesn't make us stupid."

He scoffed in disbelief and rolled his eyes as he sat up. "What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty?"

Cyborg wasn't listening, in favor of scanning the room with his eyes. He brought the communicator back closer to his mouth and clicked it on. "Never mind, Robin, I found an exit."

A voice crackled back this time. "Good, you got the Fenton Grabbers?"

Cyborg smiled. "Of course I do."

"Perfect, get him in the car and met us back here – we could use some help!"

Danny sighed and stood up. "Damn it, I call for help and I get Titan-jail instead."

"Yeah, that's pretty much it." He took the Fenton Cuffs out and held them in his hand. "It's usually a bad idea for Amity's most wanted criminal to advertise where they are. Could you put your arms behind your back now?"

Danny nodded. "I don't have the energy to get my ass kicked again."

"And that just makes **my** job easier. Thanks!" Cyborg smiled brightly and Danny frowned. "Poor ghost-boy should have planned ahead, right?"

Danny laughed. "Nah, I don't know about that. Plasmius would have mopped the floor with me, but at least this way I get to sit down and take a break, finally." Cyborg led him out the marked exit without any resistance, a fact he found somewhat unsettling, but then Danny suddenly stopped and turned around. "Your car's not gonna try to shock me to death like the cell, is it?"

"Nah… hell, with the support you've been getting, we might not even put you in the cell. I mean, why bother when you can already escape, right?" Danny shrugged, not willing to tell him he hadn't been alone. "But try to leave the Titan Tower and trust me, **we'll** be the ones mopping the floor with you."

&-X-x-x-X-&

Cyborg ran back to where the Titans were still fighting Vlad. Robin smiled at his friend before running at Plasmius with his staff ready, only to be pushed back with an ectoplasmic blast. "Phantom in the car?" he asked, short of breath.

"Yup," and then he shot one of the Fenton's special nets. It caught a shield, then Plasmius dropped it and it faded away into nothing.

Robin didn't pause to nod before he asked, "Is he cuffed?"

"Of course. And the car's new shields are on too, before you bother to ask."

"It's like you read my mind. "Robin smiled, then noticed Plasmius listening in. "You hear that, old man? We already caught your friend!"

Vlad stared at him for a moment then smiled, waving away Starfire with a blast as she came up behind him. "Friend…? Oh, you must mean the Little Badger! Perfect, really – I can't thank you enough!"

He smirked then punched Raven with an ectoplasm-covered fist, sending her into a wall.  
"You've really done my job for me so wonderfully!" He turned intangible and sailed through a wall before muttering to himself, "You're really some of the most useful pawns I've ever had!"

&-X-x-x-X-&

The car ride was a long and awkward one, yet it was still far from over. "When I sent up that signal, I wasn't really expecting **you** guys…" No one answered him. "Aren't you at least going you tell me what you were doing in Amity?"

"Catching a ghost," Robin said curtly, without any further explanation, hoping it would quiet the half-ghost trapped in the backseat. It failed and only managed to catch his attention.

"Really? It wasn't me, was it?" No answer. "What ghost were you looking for? You find them?"

Raven took the liberty of answering that time. "Wasn't you. It was Ember." She sighed, "and I don't think it's wise to talk to you about which of your allies we have and haven't caught."

"Fist of all she's not my ally." He smiled, suddenly very happy with himself, and pointed to the thermos they're confiscated from him long before the car ride began. "You mean her, right?"

Cyborg stopped the car and they all turned to stare. "You…"

"I told you we weren't allies," he reminded them smugly.

&-X-x-x-X-&

They sat in silence in the main room of the tower. Raven was meditating, Cyborg read a gaming magazine, Robin was doing something on the computer, Starfire was mixing something in a bowl and Beastboy was fidgeting. They kept shooting wary glances towards where Danny sat on the couch.

"So why didn't you ever tell your parents?" the green shape-shifter asked suddenly.

Danny just stared at him in shock for a minute and the green shape-shifter stared back, completely non-plussed. After a minute, Danny finally granted him an answer. "What, do you think I'm crazy or something?"

"…"

He sighed, ruffling his own messy white hair. "Oh yeah… You do, don't you?"

Beastboy ignored the question and pressed on. "So… what, they'd dissect you?" Danny looked up in alarm and Raven quirked an eyebrow behind the cover of a spell book. "No, really. Dude, would they?"

He shook his head furiously. "No, of course not! They'd never even try to hurt me. My parents've never laid a hand on me, I swear." He held up his palm as if giving an oath, before something occurred to him and he dropped it immediately. "Well, not intentionally. I- I mean, not the **human **me… But it-that's not the way it sounds! They-They're good people, honest."

Starfire almost dropped the bowl of suspicious gray matter in her hands in shock and Beastboy looked confused. "Never…?" he repeated slowly.

"You mean not even for hugs?" Starfire asked, starring at the halfa in shock, bowl of slop forgotten in her hands. Danny stared at them flatly.

"…"

Starfire blushed, turned away and returned to mixing the bowl as Beastboy scratched his head and laughed. "Heh heh… Oh, right… Okay, sorry. So they don't hit you… er, intentionally… at least we know **that's** not your problem…"

Danny looked offended. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Probably what it sounds like," Raven replied blandly for him.

"Listen, I'm not here to talk about my problems with you people, especially after everything that happened! I'm not here to talk about **anything**!"

Cyborg stepped away from the fridge he'd been rummaging in and asked "But… I mean, so you're saying that you **do** have problems, right?" The halfa on the couch looked ready to rip out his own hair in frustration. After a minute he calmed down though, exhaling an enormous sigh of a breath.

"…Just forget it. I have so many better things I could be doing right now…"

Raven finally looked up from her ancient book. "Oh, really? Like what…?"

Danny rolled his eyes sarcastically and waved his hand vaguely. "…Oh, I don't know… How about trying to save my town, family, and friends from ghosts, getting Ember back into the ghost zone, or dealing with Vlad before he kills my father?"

Robin didn't look at him and gave him a sardonic answer by saying, "For someone who claims to be a hero, you sure complain a lot… You know that, don't you…?"

"For a leader of a team of heroes, you sure are an angsty dork you know that?" Robin glared at him for a moment before shrugging. Danny shrugged back. "Hey, I'm still just a kid, kinda. No one said I had to be mature."

"No one knew you were the one that had the ghost powers," he shot back plainly, as if it should have been obvious. He paused before adding, "the dangerous ghost powers that you should be able to control better."

"What's wrong with the way I control my powers?" he asked incredulously.

Robin shook his head and all but ignored him. "Nothing," he said airily. "Nothing at all."

Danny scoffed. "Well what do you expect? I'm not some robot – I'm not perfect! I'm only human!" He glared at the team's leader, who knew perfectly well how the statement was directed towards him, but ignored it all the same.

"Half human," Raven corrected him callously, after a moment of awkward silence. "You're only half human, right?" Danny sneered before sighing and looking upset.

"Um… Well, technically… Yeah… But still…"

He trailed off slowly. Cyborg coughed and Beastboy rose and eyebrow. Cyborg cleared his throat and tried to fill the odd silence. "So… uh… what do you do? I mean, ya know, besides the ghost thing… For fun."

Danny shrugged. "I don't know… Not much, just hang out, I guess."

Beastboy looked over, suddenly interested. "What else?" Robin was listening too then.

Danny shrugged again before noticing Beastboy's skeptical look, and the way Robin seemed to be waiting for him to say something incriminating. "Same stuff you do, probably." Beastboy and Cyborg shrugged. He rolled his eyes. "Set fire to small children in the park…?"

Cyborg stared, Beastboy blanched, Starfire gasped, Robin went back to ignoring them and Raven gave him a withering look. "…"

Danny stared back. "…That was a **joke**…"

Beastboy relaxed slightly, but still rather looked wary. "… It wasn't funny…"

Cyborg tried his best to act as if he hadn't been phased by the comment, and as if everything was normal. "Neither are yours BB, but you don't hear me complaining…"

The green shape-shifter pouted. "Yes I do!"

"Often, then" Cyborg amended. "Not often."

&-X-x-x-X-&

Danny just wanted an apology.

Really, really badly.

"C'mon, just say it…" Robin ignored him and Danny pouted, persisting and flying closer to the ticked off leader. "Say you're sorry!" You could have cut the tension with a knife. Danny sighed. "Fine then. **Please** say you're sorry?"

"…No." It was so quiet and forced with something that had probably been meant to sound like calm, that at first Danny wasn't sure if I hadn't just imagined it. His frown creased childishly and he flew a bit ahead to face Robin. He had to stop in his tracks to avoid walking into the halfa. "I wont say I'm sorry."

Danny's eyes narrowed before he sighed again and his features relaxed. "Aww… come on! Don't deny it – you made a huge mistake," he pointed to himself "and now you have to face it and be mature. Now say it. 'Sorry'! Not that hard…" He coaxed and Robin tried to ignore him, but it was getting harder with every comment.

"No chance, no way. I'm not sorry."

"Why not?"

"Because I did what I thought was right."

"…I figured. I guess you mean protecting your friends, right?" Robin's eyes widened in surprise for just a moment, but he didn't look up. "Come on, don't deny it. They're like the world to you."

"And you're dead aren't you? After all, I mean, what would a ghost know about friends?"

Already half-way bored with the conversation, Danny started whistling his own mental rendition of 'Yankee Doodle' silently in his head. He paused the song just long enough to answer. "You might be surprised…" he said mystically.

"Not really," he admitted. "Raven already told us a lot about you. There was a ton about personality, a lot of general information, and a few personal things…"

Danny cringed. "Oh…" He tried to change the subject. "So just say you're sorry."

"I'm not sorry," the masked hero argued. "I wont say it since I don't mean it. I don't think I should have to anyways. I was just doing the right thing, as far as I could tell." He sighed, then rolled his shoulders and neck.

"Me thinks thou doth protesteths too much…"

Robin glared at him. "Are you stupid?"

Danny shrugged. "Eh, maybe."

"So, what are you doing anyways? Stalking me?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're here." Robin was pointing out the obvious.

"I know that…"

"No, no. Here. I mean here as in following me."

Danny stared at him for a moment. "…You mean as opposed to at the park?" He rose an eyebrow, not understanding what the park had to do with anything. "You know, in the park, setting a bunch of small children on fire?"

Robin glared at him for a moment before answering levelly, "Yeah, actually. That's **exactly** what I mean."

Danny's already green eyes glowed brighter before he closed them and took a deep breath. He wondered lightly if perhaps Robin was famous for royally pissing off anyone he met. "If that's the way you're going to treat me, I don't see why I don't just leave right now. Escaping would be easy as breathing, I mean, I wouldn't even have to turn intangible since we're on the roof."

"That's not true. You're not going to leave because you know that if you even try to we'll hunt you down and we wont be so nice next time." He shrugged. "I'm sure you know how many Fenton weapons we have that can tear you apart, molecule by molecule."

"Oh, yeah." He sighed. "Of course I do. They invented seven and you've got… what, four or five?"

"Actually, we only have three," Robin corrected him. "But that doesn't mean we can't get you anyways, you know."

Danny laughed. "Yeah, trust me, I know. It only takes one and it's 'lights out, that's all folks.'" He sat down on one of the boulders on the training course. "Wouldn't you feel at least a teeny bit guilty killing me?"

"I'm sure I would if I was planning to."

Danny opened his mouth to answer, but paused a moment before continuing. "Do you think I-… Do you think **anyone** could actually survive being torn apart molecule by molecule until there was nothing left?"

"No," he confessed, "no, actually I don't." He sat on a boulder, facing Danny. "My theory is that it will only destroy your ghost half." Danny snorted. "Wouldn't you like to be a normal kid again?"

"Sure, I guess I do sometimes, not all the time, mind you, but I don't think it's worth risking my life on some half-assed theory that's coming from a guy who wont even apologize."

"I'll say I'm sorry if you'll shut up."

"Really?" Danny smiled. "That's great!"

"So… I'm sorry."

"For…" he prompted. "You're sorry for what?"

"I'm sorry for doing the right thing," Robin finished.

Danny sighed and shook his finger in Robin's face. "No, you may think that a little bit, but I know you're not sure about it! I know it for a fact, so don't even try to lie to me about it."

His eyes narrowed behind his mask into a dangerously icy glare. "Any what makes you so sure about that?"

He floated into the air and straightened out his legs and arms. "I'm free!" He turned around then looked back at Robin and let his arms drop. "Well, sort of. But I'm not in a cell, I'm using my powers," he flew over to the edge and kicked the short safety wall lightly. "And I can do that without feeling like I just ran into a giant bug zapper."

"So?"

He smiled knowingly. "So… you trust me. A little bit. Not much, but you know I'm not about to try to hurt you guys."

"That's only because you're too scared to run."

He stopped floating and dropped next to him. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Robin said patiently. "You're not going to run unless you're stupid. I'm going to hold you here now, but we already caught you twice. We can catch you again and we both know it, fear's the only thing keeping you here and it's more effective than any giant bug zapper we could ever afford."

"I thought maybe trying to regain my energy was better than getting hunted by the same people for the third time in one day." He turned his head to the side and his glowing eyes gave him an expression like a curious owl. "Was I wrong?"

Robin ignored him and glanced up at the sky. "It's getting dark, you should go to bed." He headed for the stairs himself. "It's been a long day and I get the feeling tomorrow will be longer."

Danny floated a couple feet behind him. "You're kidding – you can't be serious."

Robin stepped onto the stairway, smirking. "And yet I am."

He closed the door behind him and Danny phased through it. "That doesn't work on me, you know. I **am** a ghost, you know."

"Oh, trust me. I know."


	6. A Noble Attempt: The Second Rescue

Disclaimer: Do not own!

Chapter Six:

A Noble Attempt: The Second Rescue

X-x-&-x-X

Tucker was speeding down Fascam Avenue, barely in control of his speeding scooter. Sweat dripped down his brow and he occasionally glanced up into the sky, hoping to see another column of ectoplasm rise up from the city.

He abandoned his scooter, throwing it to the side as the reached the Fenton's house. Running up their walk and attacking the door with his fists, he was almost tempted to pause for a moment to wonder how crazy he looked, but knew he didn't have the time to spare.

It seemed like forever before Maddie Fenton opened the door.

"Mrs Fenton," he cried, "You have to help, it's an emergency!"

"What is it, Tucker?" She sounded a bit worried, but tried to act as glad as ever to see him. "Jack and I are a little bit busy right now... We're working on this experiment with ectoplasmic an toaster and... well. You know."

Tucker frowned, barely holding in a huff of impatience. "But it's an _emergency!_ InvisoBill's attacking Amity! He's in the... um, in the... the park right now," he lied, hoping they wouldn't notice, "Uh... terrorizing everyone! It's awful."

"What?!" she cried, finally forgetting the toast. "Jack, let's go! There's a ghost!"

There was a clatter of silverware and tools being dropped and abandoned as Jack hurried down to the basement, crying "I'll get the Fenton Ghost Grabbers!" excitedly.

They rushed out, covered with gear, as Tucker smiled to himself. "I knew I could trust them to rush off like that. I just hope they don't actually find Danny by mistake..." He rushed down to the lab, hoping they hadn't taken with them the one thing he was after.

X-x-&-x-X

_Sam wrestled against her restraints restlessly. "Let... me... go, Ember!"_

_Ember just laughed. "Right... as if that'll happen. And what'll I do then, without my pretty little bit of bait? I need you to lure your little boyfriend here to the ghost zone, you know!"_

"_And then what?" Sam bit back. "You should know by now that he's way stronger than he needs to be to beat you."_

"_Don't be silly... I already showed you! I've got a few new tricks up my sleeve, remember" Ember laughed manically._

Sam woke up with a jolt, safe at home, in her own bed. "Oh... How did I get here...?" Her face broke into a smile as a thought came to her. "Danny must've brought me here! He got out of the Titan Tower...

"So that must mean Tucker's plan really worked!"

She jumped out of her bed and rushed down stairs to the phone and dialed Danny's number without second thought.

X-x-&-x-X

Tucker was too distracted looking for the Fenton Ghost Tracker to think, so he picked up the phone without a second thought. "Hello?" he answered, before realizing a moment too late that he wasn't supposed to be there.

There was a pause on the other line. "Tucker?"

"Uh..." he bit his lip, still scanning the lab with his eyes, hoping to catch glimpse of it and get out of there as soon as possible. "Yeah."

"Oh! Hi. It's Sam... Danny saved me from Ember, I guess... She'd knocked me out, then I just woke up and I was home!"

"So it worked!"

She paused again for a moment, confused. "Yeah, of course it did, Tuck... Isn't he there? I wanted to talk to him."

"Uh... no, actually..." He toyed with his beret nervously. "I was just here looking for the Ghost Tracker to find him..."

Sam gasped. "You mean he's missing?"

"Not exactly... I saw him send up some ectoplasm in the sky, earlier... from somewhere around the old railroad station. I think it was supposed to be signal."

"Oh, no..." Sam moaned. "This doesn't sound good at all..." She paused to think again. "Come here as soon as you find the tracker, alright? I want to help."

"Alright," he said, but quickly added "but no guarantees!" before she could hang up. "If your house is too far away, I don't want to risk wasting time... just in case."

"Yeah, fine... but only if you really have to!"

"If I don't show, I'll call you to let you know what's going on."

Sam frowned. "Yeah, you'd better." She clicked the phone into place in it's cradle and started pacing worriedly. "Where could he be...?

Meanwhile, Tucker finally caught glimpse of the Fenton tracker under a pile of blueprints and lunged for it "Score!" he cried excitedly. "I wonder if it still has his DNA coded into it..." He turned it on, feeling slightly anxious. Nothing happened. "What...?" He turned it over in his hands a moment before checking the batteries, only to find them missing. "Figures."

He rolled his eyes before heading up the stairs into the Fenton's kitchen where they kept the batteries in a drawer.

A moment later, the tracker chirped and hummed to life. 'Welcome to the Fenton tracking system,' it said.

"Find Danny Phantom, aka InvisoBill," Tucker directed.

'One moment please, processing...'

X-x-&-x-X

The doorbell and, and Sam dove to answer it, a bit too eagerly. "Hi Tucker... where is he?"

Tucker bit his lips, hesitant to answer. "Well... believe it or not, I think he's on his way back to the Titan Tower." He put his hand on Sam's shoulder. "I think the Titans caught him again, and they're bringing him back again."

"But-- How?"

"Remember the signal he sent up that I told you about? They must have seen it and tracked him down, the way I was trying to..." He cast his gaze to the ground. "Sorry, Sam. I wish I knew for sure... I don't know what they could have been doing in Amity... but it's the only thing that makes sense."

Sam pushed his hand off her shoulder and frowned. "It's fine, Tucker... You're sure the tracker's got it right?"

"Positive, Sam. This thing's reliable, despite what the Fentons think... You know that."

"Right," she mumbled. "How can we get there to save him?"

Tucker shrugged. "I don't know... Danny's parents are busy ghost hunting in the Ghost Assult Vehicle, and there's no way our parents will take us... and there aren't any ghost zone portals in Gotham."

"Yeah. That's really helpful, Tuck. Now we know how we _can't_ get there. Thanks." She rolled her eyes. "Got any actually helpful ideas?"

Tucker smiled sheepishly. "Not really... Only thing we can do is take a train."

Sam broke out in a huge grin. "That's perfect! Don't worry, I'll cover your fare... give me a second to get my scooter, then let's go!"

X-x-&-x-X

Danny woke up the next morning on the Titan's couch with his back and legs feeling unbearably sore. "This must be karma for fighting a team of famous superheroes…"

He swung his legs off the couch, sat up and saw Starfire in the kitchen, eating something Danny couldn't recognize. "Good morning, Phantom," she said, half-smiling at him. He got the feeling she was still a bit wary of him and gave her the same cautious smile in return.

"Morning!" he said, trying to sound enthusiastic. An arrow of pain suddenly shot through his head, kicking off a vicious headache. "Karma bites."

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

He turned on the couch and stood up, stretching his arms at his sides. "Oh, uh… nothing. I'm just still kind of tired, you know?"

Starfire paused for a moment with her fork halfway to her mouth, then put it back down on her plate. "Actually, no, I don't think I do!" She smiled at him happily. "I think you're more like some of us than you know – especially Beastboy and Cyborg."

"Oh? And how's that?"

She spun her fork around the inner edge of her plate calmly. "None of you can understand the glorious importance of mornings. What's the fun of being tired and cranky when the beautiful beginnings of a day are spread before you?"

Danny pulled an awkward expression, somewhere between a blanch and a skeptic look. "Trust me, no one decides to have bad mornings for 'fun,' okay?"

"Then why...?"

Danny blanched. "Eh... Just forget it."

Starfire paused to look at him oddly before nodding and going back to her mysterious green lump of breakfast with enthusiasm.

X-x-&-x-X

Sam poked Tucker awake around half-past nine in the morning, just as they pulled out of the New Milford train station. "Wake up, Tucker..." she mumbled. "We're only about an hour away, I think."

Tucker nodded hazily, rubbing his eyes and stretching. He stopped all at once though and turned too look at Sam. "Wait a second," he groaned. "We don't have any sort of plan at all, do we?"

Sam laughed sheepishly and blushed. "I was just thinking about that a while ago, when you were sleeping... Heh." She fidgeted nervously. "No... I'm afraid we don't, besides just going there."

He stared at her in awe for a second, not entirely willing to believe they'd traveled so far without a single clue of how to help Danny escape the Titans again. "Oh, God... we're doomed."

"Yeah... kinda." She scratched her head. "Got any ideas?"

"Actually, yes!" Tucker sat up suddenly. "Staying in Amity and hacking into the Titan Tower again, for one! That's a good idea, right?"

Sam frowned, resisting the urge to punch him as she felt her hands curl up into fists, almost on their own. "Tucker, that's not doing us any good right now. It was your idea to go there in the first place, so stop with the negativity already, and help me think."

X-x-&-x-X

"Good morning Phantom." Raven mumbled as she pushed past him, on her way towards the kitchen. "Are you going to cooperate now, or do I have to look forward to a repeat of yesterday?"

"I'll be good, I promise!"

Raven grunted, leaning into the cabinet to pull out a box of cereal. "Finally. Chasing you down takes a lot of my energy, you know. It's not worth it."

"Thanks," he groaned. "You're a real sweetheart. I don't think I could take another day like that anyways..."

She shrugged non-commitally, pouring herself a bowl of cereal before disappearing into the fridge for milk.

"Can I have some of that cereal too...?" he asked nervously. "Sorry. I just didn't have dinner last night, and..."

"Yes, you can have some. Now be quiet and let me eat."

Danny bit his lip and stepped away cautiously. "Right... sorry."

He frowned, shifting uncomfortably as he tried to pour the cereal as quietly as possible. He'd really been hoping that getting on their good sides would have been a lot easier.

X-x-&-x-X

"I can't believe this!" Tucker cried, pacing back and forth across the train depot's platform absent-mindedly. "I can't believe we came all the way here without thinking!"

Sam leaned back on the bench exhaustedly, closing her eyes, trying to block out Tucker's ranting so she could focus. "It's okay, Tucker... It made sense at the time, and we'll think of something, I'm sure. Don't worry about it... I promise, your worry isn't doing Danny any good."

He moaned. "Well, if you're so smart... what should we do then?"

"I don't know, Tuck! Just be quiet and let me think. Alright?"

"Think faster!"

"Tucker, shut up!" She dug five dollars out of her pocket and handed it to him. "Go away. There's a cafe across the street, see?" She paused to point it out to him. "Get yourself a bagel or something... I really don't care. Just leave me _alone_ for a minute."

X-x-&-x-X

Almost half an hour had passed before Tucker finally wandered back to where Sam was waiting for him. He approached her almost cautiously, handing her a wrapped up bagel as a kind of peace offering. "It's got jam on it... I hope that's okay. Um... I didn't know what to put on it, since they didn't have any soy cream cheese," he told her.

"Thanks."

"So," he paused, considering his next words with extreme caution, "did you think of anything?"

Sam frowned, unwrapping the bagel and taking a bite before answering. "Not really..." Tucker sighed. "But, I think we might as well find somewhere to stay, then just..." she shrugged, "I don't know, try talking to them."

Tucker stared at her incredulously for a moment before scoffing. "Are you serious, Sam? Are you crazy?" She ignored him, in favor of devoting her attention to her bagel. "You want us to just go up, knock on their front door and ask them to let him go? And then what, they'll invite us in for tea and cookies?" He shook his head. "They think he's a criminal! Amity's most wanted! That couldn't possibly work."

"We might as well," Sam retorted. "I'm going today, with or without you... unless you think of something better, and fast."

X-x-&-x-X

"You're pretty hateful for a hero, you know..." Danny chastised. Robin frowned at him in a silent reply. "I just want a little trust, you know? You've hardly been a good host to me, in case you haven't noticed."

Robin sighed impatiently. "I'm willing to forgive you, it'll just take a good bit of time and effort on your part."

"Perfect!" Danny smiled. "So, let's call this a truce, play poker on Tuesdays and eat Fritos... Okay?"

"No. Now shut up."

"Oh, come on! We've been over this... I'm not evil. Now, admit you made a mistake and move on."

"Well, what do you want me to do? Forget everything I think about you just because you said so?" Robin shook his head. "It's not that easy. If you want my trust, then you have to earn it." He turned around and headed for the door, pausing just before he passed through. "And for future reference, I prefer popcorn and video games."

Danny slumped down in his chair with a heaving sigh as he watched Robin leave. "Right... gotcha." He sighed. "I'll remember that for next time."


	7. It never hurts to ask

Chapter 7

Okay now this is where I take over! I hope you guys enjoy it and truthfully this chapter is really just setting up for the plot later so it may not be all that exciting. But it does have the confrontation between Sam, Tucker and Robin that you all have been waiting for.

Oh, and on another note: Happy 4th Danny Phantom Anniversary everyone! Yep its been 4 years since the first episode aired at 9:00 date: 4/3/04. And what a wonderful four years its been.

Chapter 7:

**It Never Hurts to Ask**

After trying, yet again, to convince Robin that he was not evil; Danny headed back into the room where the rest of the Titans were. There, he was greeted by a familiar sight. Beastboy and Cyborg were at the games again, Raven was in her corner reading a thick black book, and the sounds of Starfire preparing another meal came from the kitchen. _'That girl really likes to cook,' _Danny thought to himself. He let out an audible sigh, this must be normal life here in the tower. Or at least as normal as a team of crime fighters could get.

Danny was glad that the Teen Titans went about their normal day even if he was there. It was better for him at least. Although they are careful about what they say around him and constantly monitoring everything he says or does, at least they are not about to through him in his cell again. He had to admit; however, that the quick glances in his direction and the apprehensive stares he receives when entering a room were starting to get on his nerves.

Although it was good in one aspect, in another, the sense of normalcy presented a problem to Danny. He did not belong in the everyday life of the tower. To say Danny's position was awkward would be an understatement. He was basically a free roaming prisoner in the home of people who thought he was evil and had the weapons to bring him down if they needed to. So yeah, it was better then the cell and at least he had a chance to prove himself, but it wasn't going to be easy.

"Problem Phantom?" Raven asked. Her lavender eyes peering over a large book.

Danny was startled at first, but then he realized he must have sighed out loud. "Um no, sorry. What book are you reading?" Danny asked trying to make conversation with the dark Titan. He walked up to her and tried looking at the spine of the book. The title; however, was not English. It didn't even look like it came from earth.

The young sorceress snapped her book closed, "I was just doing some light reading," she said, brushing his question aside. "Maybe I should ask what you are doing?"

Danny shrugged, "Absolutely nothing! There is nothing to do around here!"

"Well, what do you usually do?" Raven sighed, this conversation was beginning to feel a lot like talking to Beast Boy when he was bored and he didn't have anything better to do then bug her. Raven found that the best way to get rid of her attention deficit team mate was to redirect his attention to something he found more interesting.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck subconsciously, "Well hang out with my friends I guess… or play video games."

"Good, have fun," and with that Raven stood up to leave.

"Wait have fun with what?"

"Video games, have fun rotting your mind like the rest of them." Her voice never broke from it's monotone state through their whole conversation and as she left the room Danny wondered if it ever did.

'_She is a strange girl'_ Danny thought to himself, _'but there is no denying it: her and Sam would get along so well it would be scary.' _

**DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP**

Danny, taking Ravens advice, headed over to the two Titans playing videogames. And as he did, Cyborg stretched and stood up.

"I'll kick your butt latter BB. I have to go finish some work for Robin first."

"You don't have to hid it Cy, I know your just running 'cause you know what a master I am at this game!" Beastboy teased, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Please, B! You're the worst Doomed player I have ever seen. And that includes the time you forced Raven to play and she wouldn't even touch the controller." Cyborg snickered and Beastboy retaliated by sticking out his tongue.

Cyborg laughed at his friend before continuing his journey out of the room, nodding to Danny as he passed him. Danny approached the green Titan and watched his character 'LadysmanOO7' blasting a huge Golem on level nine.

"Ladysman?" Danny chuckled, making Beastboy jump and turn around.

"Duuude! Don't do that!" Beastboy protested while bringing a hand to his chest.

"Sorry," Danny apologized with a laugh, "I didn't mean to scare you." Hopping over the couch he landed next to the frustrated Titan who continued playing his game. Danny watched as Beastboy's character struggled against the giant golem boss…and loose.

"Oh man, died again!" Beastboy complained, throwing his arms up in defeat. "If I had one more life I could bet him."

"Did you crack the safe yet?" Danny asked, drawing his own blue eyes from the screen.

"Huh?"

"The safe at Smarty Mart, if you crack it you get an extra life." He informed him, "It took Tucker and I hours to figure it out, but we finally got it." Danny couldn't help but grin at the surprised expression the shape shifter was giving him.

"I didn't know villains played video games. Well, except for Control Freak, but he's a different story..."

Danny sighed, "How many times do I have to tell you people? I am not a villain!"

"Probably until you can prove it." Beastboy reset the game again. "Want to play? I can use some extra help." He asked, offering Danny the controller Cyborg had been using.

Danny was shocked for a second, but then responded to his question with a grin. "I don't remember a time when I ever did not want to play video games." He laughed and took the controller. And, for the first time ever, began fighting with a Titan instead of against them.

**TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT**

The door bell rang, and since Robin was already heading in that direction, he yelled out that he would get it. Walking through the main room before reaching the door, Robin did a double take when he realized who was playing video games with Beastboy. Beastboy and the Ghostboy were laughing and talking like old friends, and Robin wasn't sure how he felt about that. On the one hand this was a good thing, if they ever wanted to reform Phantom they had to find a way to connect with him and gain his trust. However, Phantom was extremely dangerous and they still had no idea what he was capable of. The door bell rang again and Robin was forced store his thoughts and answer it.

Opening the door Robin was greeted by two teenagers who around his age, maybe a year younger. The girl had strait black hair and lilac eyes. Dressing in black, green, and purple; it was obvious she was a goth. The guy next to her was African American, he wore a yellow shirt and an orange beret.

"Umm hello?" the greeted the male out of the two teenagers who where standing on the Titan's font porch. "Do you think we could have our friend back… please?"

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Robin asked them, confused.

The dark-haired girl glared at her friend, "I didn't mean ask him right out." She explained exasperated.

"Well, maybe you should be more specific. Besides, it never hurts to ask." Her friend with the Beret countered.

The goth girl sighed and messaged her temples in frustration; strongly reminding Robin of Raven when Beastboy says something embarrassing/stupid.

"I'm Sam and this is Tucker. And your Robin, the leader of the Teen Titans, right? " The girl asked quickly, trying to skip over the introductions.

'Sam and Tucker?' he recognized those names. They where the names of the friends Phantom had called on his cell pone, and the names Raven kept mentioning when she was describing Phantoms memories (memories, that Raven is still not sure are real).

"Yes, I am Robin. You mentioned something about your friend, Phantom?" Robin made the connection that Phantom was the 'friend' the boy refer to.

"Uhh yeah, listen…" Sam started nervously, but then Robin saw her eyes harden with determination and… anger? "I know your big famous heros and everything, and I'm sure the police force loves you and all your adoring fans…" her voice started to turn cold and venomous, "but your making a huge mistake! Just because you saved the world a couple hundred times-"

"Umm-" Robin started to say, but was cut off.

"-doesn't mean you can interfere in the affairs of other towns that maybe don't need your help. I know you think your doing Amity Park a favor, but your not! You have no idea what's going on there and at the same time you have no right to pass judgment!"

"Hold on a second!" Robin wasn't liking where this was going.

However, Sam wasn't listening and she was now up in titans face poking his chest, "Danny Phantom is not a criminal, he's a hero! And without him Amity Park will fall to pieces, we need him. You have to lest him go!"

Robin was shocked, if not a little bit terrified. The only other girl that had ever yelled at him like that had been, well, Starefire. And he had been scared then too. Robin glanced over at the boy next to her, as if asking him for help. However, Robin only received a sheepish shrug.

"You set her off dude…"

"Set her off how? What did I say?" He asked them both while taking a step back. The girl was still uncomfortably closed to him, glaring daggers at his mask.

"It's not what you said," Sam growled, "Its what you did."

"You mean capture Phantom?" Robin clarified.

"We just want to see him," Tucker requested.

The boy, Tucker, looked worried, and Sam had stopped glaring long enough to look worried herself. Actually, they both looked more then worried, almost distraught. Robin knew they had come all the way from there town just for Phantom and that made Robin feel a bit guilty about his answer. "I'm sorry, I can't let you see him."

Sam's eyes flashed with anger, but she forced herself to keep clam, " Why not?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"It's my responsibility to make sure he doesn't hurt anybody and allowing civilians near him-"

"But he's are friend!" Tucker cut in.

"He's not going to hurt us! Or anybody!" The girl added.

"I don't know that, and until I do, I won't put anyone outside of this tower in danger." Robin didn't even like putting his team in danger and so these strangers were out of the question.

"But-"

"He's not going to change his mind Tucker," The goth girl sighed, now realizing something, "As much as I hate to admit it he's too much like Danny: overprotective and stubborn." Robin narrowed his eyes. He hated it when people compared him to his enemies, he was nothing like them! However, it wasn't the first time anybody compared him to Phantom. Before Robin could correct her she asked one last question. "Is he okay? Just tell us if he is hurt or-" She may have been tough wile berating him, but now all Robin could see was concern and apprehension for the half ghost.

"He's fine" Robin assured her, "It isn't my intention to punish him."

"Just lock him up?" Sam challenged.

"I was asked to keep Amity Park safe, and that's what I'm doing."

Sam shook her head, "You have no idea what your doing."

Robin sighed and stepped back into the tower, "I'll let him know you were here."

Both the teen's eyes lit up. They didn't thank him though, nodding slightly they left. Robin noticed that while walking away, they would casually look up at the tower, as if hoping to get a glimpse of Phantom


	8. Partnership

I'm back! Sorry for how long this took me! It was only suppose to take two weeks, but obviously that didn't happen. It wouldn't have taken as long, but I wanted to add in those important scenes at the end. You'll see what I mean.

Thank you everybody for your amazing reviews and you constructive criticism. I love them both!

And a special thanks to Riverfox237 for correcting my grammar, adding detail, keeping the character in character, and all around improving this chapter. Trust me; this chapter became so much better once she got a hold of it. Thank you!

Disclaimer: It is way to late to be thinking up witty disclaimer saying. Basically, I don't own Danny Phantom or the Teen Titans.

Chapter eight

**Partnership **

"Is something the matter, dearest heart?"

Vlad looked up from his incessant pacing to see the holographic version of the woman of his dreams with programmed concern on her face. "No, nothing you need to worry about, Dearest," he soothed. Clenching his fists, he added, "My pawns have just decided to play the game on their own. Well, we'll see about that." He continued pacing; it helped him think. He had options and plans, but he wasn't completely sure they would work now, and if he made a mistake, it could jeopardize everything. "If they find out they're on the same side, I'm ruined," he growled, more to himself than to his holographic creation.

"Then we make sure they don't find out." A haunting voice came from the shadows, making the powerful half ghost jump.

"Who's there?" he demanded firmly, quickly regaining his composure. He wouldn't tolerate intruders in his own home.

"You've been playing the game without all of the pieces. I am the one that can give them to you," the voice continued.

"Show yourself!" Vlad demanded. The intruder complied. As he stepped out of the shadows Vlad was able to get a good look at him. He was a tall man wearing a strange suit of copper and metal armor, and a mask that completely covered his face. Only one side of the mask had an eye-slit; the other side was smooth, uninterrupted copper. His right eye was the only part of the stranger that he could see, but they were just as cold and unfeeling as his metal suit. Vlad instantly knew by the man's demeanor that he was dangerous.

"Who are you?" Vlad insisted once again, glaring distrustfully.

"My name would do nothing for you; it's what I know that can help you. But if you must, you may call me Slade."

Vlad's eyes narrowed. He had heard of this man while researching the Titans, and from what he had learned, he had no desire to include him in his plans. Despite a begrudging admiration for his fellow criminal's reputation, involving outsiders would complicate things, and he knew that trusting this man would be a mistake. Unfortunately, Vlad was almost out of reliable options at this point. Perhaps he could manipulate the situation to his own ends; surely even an accomplished human criminal like Slade would be no match for him if things went awry.

"And at what price will this information come?" He knew neither the intruder nor himself would give important information away, at least not without ulterior motives.

Slade let out a hollow laugh, "Plasmius…"

Vlad tensed when Slade said his name. He was human at the moment, which meant that Slade knew about his ghost half. No one who knew his secret would betray him and give away such information – at least, not without great personal cost. Vlad was very careful about this. So how on earth did Slade know?

Slade continued, seemingly ignoring Vlad's smoldering glare of distrust. "I only ask for one thing: partnership. You want an apprentice and so do I. You know as much about the ghost boy's weaknesses as I do about the Titans'. You're running out of time, and as you said before, if they realize they're one the same side…" He let the statement hang pointedly.

"And what can you do to help? I already tried to separate them, but the Titans don't trust me," Vlad snapped.

"And why would they? These are not simply foolish little children playing games. Gaining their trust will be difficult. You need to give them no other option but to hand their prisoner over to you."

"And how, pray tell, would I do that?" Vlad pretended to scoff, but now he was interested.

"That's where I come in. I know how Robin works; I could get him to voluntarily hand your apprentice over to you." Vlad could swear he heard a smirk in the man's voice.

"And then how would you get what you want?" Vlad challenged. He had to know what Slade would get out of this bargain. If he knew people's motives, then it was easier to trust them…or double-cross them.

"Don't worry about that. Your new apprentice will take care of it."

**DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPPDP**

Robin sighed as he headed back into the large TV room. He wondered what Phantom's reaction would be to the news that his 'friends' had been here looking for him. Would he be surprised? Happy? Angry? Robin had to admit, though, that he was rather surprised, himself. Even though Phantom had talked about his friends before, they were nothing like Robin had imagined. He had expected that, if Phantom was evil, then his 'friends' would be more like minions or servants. He'd never though they would be people who were truly concerned with his well-being.

When he entered the room, he found Beast Boy and Phantom still playing video games on the couch. Standing behind the two gamers, Robin cleared his throat loudly. "Phantom, there's something we need to address…" He glanced at his green friend, who was staring up at him in curiosity. "Beast Boy, can you pause the game, please?"

He did, and the two gamers turned to face the Boy Wonder. And as if sensing that something important was about to happen, Starfire came out of the kitchen and Raven and Cyborg wondered in the room as well.

"What's up?" Danny asked casually, putting down the controller. His heart thumped loudly in his chest as he nervously waited for whatever mysterious issue the other boy wanted to bring up.

"Well," Robin began, "I told them they couldn't see you, but your 'friends', Sam and Tucker, were just here asking for you."

There was a silence in the room as they all waited to see what Phantom would do.

Danny's face was expressionless as he processed the information. "Just now?" he questioned thoughtfully.

Robin wondered if he was thinking about catching up with them and immediately revisited their contingency plan for recapturing him if he decided to fly through the wall. "That's right." He would be ready if Phantom tried to escape.

"And you sent them away?" he asked slowly. Then suddenly, a wide, knowing smile appeared on Phantom's face. "Sam yelled at you, didn't she?" By Robin's expression, Danny knew he was right. "Gave you a big long lecture that turned into a rant, huh?" Silence again. Danny chuckled, "If you think that's bad, then just wait to hear what she has to say about animal cruelty. Now _that's_ scary." Phantom shook his head as he continued to remember his best friend's temper. In the meantime, Robin and the other Titans were shocked.

Phantom hadn't seemed surprised about his friend's actions. In fact, it was like he had expected them to come. Maybe Robin had Phantom's relationship with his friends all wrong. It was more then just a master-minion partnership. Every time Phantom talked about both Sam and Tucker, his eyes would light up and he would smile brightly. He could be so human, so normal; it was easy to forget that he was half ghost. Easy to forget he was evil. The Titans were already starting to doubt how malevolent Phantom was; because slowly, they were beginning to see a bit of themselves in him.

**TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT**

Both Sam and Tucker had walked back to their hotel room in silence. Even Tucker, who usually couldn't stand to stay quiet for long, preferred thinking over talking until they reached their destination. Both of them were too wrapped up in their thoughts of their mutual best friend to even consider talking.

Sam wasn't really a pessimistic person, despite her Goth lifestyle. But now, she found herself contemplating all of the worst possible scenarios. Even though the leader of the Titans had told her that Danny wasn't hurt, it didn't stop her from worrying. He could be alone in a dark cell, for all she knew. And if the Titans thought that Danny was just a ghost, they might not think to bring him food and water. Sam Manson rarely cried, but the thought of her best friend alone and starving, feeling helpless and hopeless, made her feel like she could break down at any moment.

Tucker was plagued with the same dark thoughts as Sam was. He, however, tried not to dwell on them. He pushed away the thoughts of his best friend trapped and alone, and replaced them with fantasies of him having a great time meeting famous heroes and trading exciting battle stories. Although Tucker knew these fantasies were just that: fantasies. They helped him cope with the fact that Danny was in trouble and he was unable to help him. Tucker sighed and pulled himself back into his own comforting world. _'I wonder if Danny would get Starfire's number for me?' __he thought to himself. _An involuntary grin crossed his face.

When the two teens arrived at the hotel, they went straight up to their room. The first thing Sam did was sit at the edge of her bed and bury her head in her hands. This was Tucker's first clue that something was wrong.

"Are you okay?" he asked, sitting down beside her.

Lifting her head out of her hands, she glared at her best friend. "Yeah, just peachy! Danny has been captured and imprisoned by five powerful superheroes who are probably working for Plasmius. He's probably in mortal danger right now, and we have no way to reach him or help him. But, no, I'm fine," Sam said sarcastically, burying her head in her hands once again.

Tucker wasn't put off by Sam's bitter comment for a second. He had known her long enough to not be offended by her harsh reply. It just meant she was more worried than she would admit.

Tucker placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Sam. We'll find a way out of this, just like was always do," he promised her.

The Goth lifted her head up and looked right into her friend's eyes. "But this is different, Tucker. We're not talking about Danny battling evil ghosts here. This time he's up against everything he's tried to protect. The Titans are famous heroes-"

"-Which means there's really nothing to worry about. If they are heroes, then they won't hurt him. In fact, it's just a matter of time until they realize he is a hero too," Tucker pointed out reasonably.

Sam shook her head. "I hope your right." She still sounded unconvinced, though.

"Of course I am. When am I not?" Tucker joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Sam rolled her eyes, but she couldn't conceal a small smirk that found its way onto her lips. Suddenly, Sam felt a surge of appreciation for her best friend beside her. Without him, she would be completely alone right now, desperately trying to find a way to help Danny with no support or comfort. Or a smile… like Danny, Tucker was one of the few people that could really make her smile.

"Thanks, Tucker," Sam said softly.

Tucker grinned. "Sure, Sam. So, what should we do now?"

"Well," said Sam, standing up. "I can't just sit here and do nothing while he is in trouble. I have to go… somewhere." And with that, she left their room. Tucker knew she just needed to clear her head and that, although she wouldn't mind being alone, he should go with her. Sighing, Tucker stood up and followed her to 'somewhere'.

**DPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT**

"Are you sure this will work?" Vlad asked his new partner distrustfully.

Slade leaned against the wall, arms crossed. His one visible eye stared at Vlad with an insultingly unconcerned calm. "Yes. It will give them no other option than to hand over the boy to you. And not only will you have him, but some leverage to control him with, as well. Trust me; this is exactly what you need."

"I don't trust you." Vlad replied blatantly. "But I must admit, it does sound like it will work…"

"As long as those allies of yours stick to the plan, it will."

"They won't fail me," the hybrid assured Slade. But as he said this he turned his head and glared at Skulker and the ectopuses, silently saying, _'you better not!' _

Skulker huffed, insulted. "Taking out two humans is a waste of my talents," he sneered.

Skulker huffed, completely insulted. He had been called away from an important hunt for this mission, and finding out that his task was something as basic as this, had added to his aggravation. "Taking out two humans is a waste of my talents," he sneered.

"You will do this, Skulker, and you will do it right. Stick to the plan and do not disappoint me," Vlad growled.

Nodding, Skulker flew off, grumbling to himself.

"And you two." Vlad turned to address the ectopuses. "Try to distract the Titans for as long as you can." Vlad Masters then transformed into Vlad Plasmius, lifting off of the ground in preparation to fly off. He glanced at his new, cold-mannered 'partner'. "And I will get the boy."

**DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP**

After their short conversation, all the Titans and Danny continued what they were doing. Danny and Beast Boy had made it past level nine and were now finishing level ten. Beast Boy had to admit, it was much easier playing with Danny than against Cyborg.

The green titan had stopped calling the ghost boy 'Phantom' and started calling him by what he preferred: 'Danny'. They were almost acting like buddies as they talked about the game and their friends. Well, Danny talked about his friends. Beast Boy had been conditioned not to talk about his fellow heroes to a potential enemy. It was something very important he had learned while he was in the Doom Patrol.

Suddenly, a blaring alarm when off. Robin came running into the room.

"Not this again," Danny groaned, plugging his ears against the loud, annoying alarm.

"Titans," Robin summoned loudly. A second later, all five of them appeared in the room. Danny marveled at their response time. "There's trouble in town. Let's go!"

They all turned, and were about to make their dramatic exits out of the room, when they were stopped by a surprised exclamation from behind them.

"Wait! What about me?" Danny asked the group.

By the stares he was getting, Danny half expected the Titans to sarcastically ask, _'Yeah? What about you?'_

"Stay here and don't try to contact anyone," Robin ordered. Danny would have preferred the sarcastic answer.

The Titans then left Danny alone while they went of to fulfill their heroic duties. "You know," Danny mused to himself. "A few days ago I would have giving anything to take a break from being a superhero and fighting ghosts. And now that the only thing I can do is rest…" Danny sighed, "I just want to get out there and start fighting again."

Blue mist came out of Danny's mouth as he heard a familiar laugh from up above. "I think I can help you with that, Daniel."

"Vlad?" As his arch nemesis phased through the roof, Danny transformed on impulse. He glared angrily, trying to hide his surprise at the villain's entrance. "I knew you were behind all of this; sending a group of superheroes to do your dirty work for you. That is so…like you." Danny narrowed his eyes as he prepared an ecto-blast.

"Now, now, Daniel. We'll end up destroying the Tower if we fight here," Vlad reminded him with a smirk. Turning intangible, Vlad phased through the roof, and Danny immediately followed right behind him.

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"Sam? What are we doing here?" Tucker asked, following behind her in an unfamiliar neighborhood.

"I just needed to get out and walk around. You can go back if you want to, you know."

"How about we both go back before we get lost? Besides," Tucker walked closer to her, "this doesn't look like the good part of town."

"Would you quit worrying? We'll be fine…Tucker?" Tucker had suddenly frozen somewhere to the left of her.

"Sam!" he yelled. "Look out!" Before Sam could turn around to see what he had been yelling about, she suddenly felt a sharp pain as something hard collided with her temple. She couldn't hear Tucker's voice when he called her name again. Nor did she feel the ground when she collided with the cement. Her ears were ringing and her head began to felt very heavy. In her last second of consciousness she tried to see what had hit her; however, all she was able to see before she blacked out was a faint green glow emanating off of a ghostly body.

**DPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT**

The battle between Vlad and Danny ended up taking them all over Jump City. Danny couldn't shake the suspicion that Vlad was purposefully leading him somewhere. But what could he do? He had to see what Vlad was up to.

Vlad dodged another one of Danny's ecto-blasts, and then suddenly came to a stop in mid-air. The older halfa began tapping his chin with his finger, pretending to think. Confused, Danny skidded to a similar mid-air halt, quickly preparing a new blast to throw at his nemesis.

"I do hope your friends are alright, Daniel." Vlad forced concern onto his face to hide the smirk that tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"What are you talking about?" The fresh blast forming in his hands suddenly disappeared.

"Well, you see…" Vlad said slowly, a mocking regretful note in his voice. "I sent Skulker after your friends: Samantha and Tucker. And I was just worried for them. You know how carried away Skulker can get…"

Danny's eyes turned cold and he body became rigid. "Where are they?" Danny growled menacingly. "What did you do?"

Vlad smirked to hide his surprise. The look in the young half-ghost eyes had sent a chill down his spine. "Look down," Vlad suggested, before suddenly disappearing from view and Danny's senses.

Danny did as Vlad suggested and looked down to see a vacant street corner. However, a second look showed Danny that it wasn't completely empty. A figure in black clothing lay motionless on the sidewalk.

"Sam!" Danny gasped, his chest tightening in fear. Speeding towards the ground, he landed beside his fallen friend. The first thing he did was check her pulse: he let out a sigh of relief when he was able to find it. However, the relief didn't last long. Danny noticed a pool of blood forming under her head and he realized she was cut deeply above her right ear. Kneeling beside her, he very carefully rolled her onto her back. A part of him didn't want to touch her, afraid of making it worse. But he knew he had to get her to a hospital quickly.

Danny held her back with one arm and gently supported her head with his shoulder. The other arm scooped up her legs, and he was about to fly her to the nearest hospital when he heard the screeching of a car as it came tearing down the street. The familiar car skidded to a stop in front of the half ghost.

**DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP**

The Titans had just finished getting rid of a pair of ghost octopi that were terrorizing innocent civilians in a park when they heard the familiar sounds of ecto-blasts coming from up above. They gasped in shock when they saw Phantom and Vlad Plasmius locked in combat.

"Umm… isn't he supposed to be in the tower?" Beast Boy asked, confused.

"Well, obviously, he's not," Raven replied, rolling her eyes at her teammate obvious statement.

Starfire watched the fight anxiously. She turned to their leader with obvious confusion. "Robin. I though Phantom was in the league with the other ghost. Why are they fighting?"

"Well, maybe Phantom was telling the truth about being enemies with him, Starfire." Robin considered this for a moment.

"Let me guess… We have to capture him again, don't we?" Cyborg asked, already knowing the answer.

"That's right. Titans, lets go!" Everybody jumped in the T-car, which began following the aerial fight that was quickly moving away from them.

Phantom disappeared from they sky in sudden favor of the ground. With Raven's psychic abilities they were able track where Phantom had landed. According to their dark teammate, the older ghost had vanished without a trace.

Speeding down the road, Cyborg had stopped the car in front of a astonishing sight. As much as the Titans had believed Phantom was evil, none of the Titans thought he would stoop this low. There stood Phantom with an unconscious and obviously hurt Sam in his arms. His expression condemned him at once, because as soon as he looked up at the familiar car, his face became frozen in unmistakable guilt.

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Don't worry! Next chapter won't take quite as long, I promise.


	9. Rude Awakening

It's been a very long time, I know, but there is no way I'm abandoning this story

I know I promised you guys that the next one would be up really soon and it wasn't. I'm really sorry about that; I feel awful. But here is the next chapter and I'm already working on the chapter 10, so at least that is something.

And once again, my Beta Riverfox237, did an amazing job fixing up my story! Believe me, I am so lost with grammar without her. And thank you to all my reviewers. Your comments mean so much to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 9

Rude Awakening

White.

It was very white. Compared to dark void of unconsciousness, the white room was disconcerting. Of course, so was the extremely cheery smile of the strange girl currently hovering over her. Literally as well as figuratively.

"Friend Robin! Come quick! She has awakened!" The girl cried gleefully. Her excitement was contagious and Sam felt her head clearing as she was pulled towards reality. It looked like she was in a hospital of some sort, with beeping machines and uncomfortable beds. However, there were no nurses or doctors that Sam could see, and it looked like she was the only patient.

Another face appeared over Sam, but she recognized this one. It was the leader of the Teen Titans. The one that sent her away. The one who captured Danny…

An overwhelming rush of emotions ran through Sam's once-numb body and she became extremely alert. Like when comparing the present to a memory, her world seemed sharper and defined. The past was the memory, fuzzy and distorted. Sam was almost fully awake now, and she tried to position herself better so that she could talk to the masked leader. Or yell; that worked too.

"Careful," he warned her, his voice full of concern. "Take it easy; you have a nasty bump on your head and you really shouldn't strain yourself." He gently pushed her back down into the bed.

Sam's mind may have been there, but her strength wasn't. If she could have, she would have refused his suggestion and sat up, maybe even tried to get out of bed. But the tiniest movement made the room spin and her head throb. Sam let out a grown as she glared up at him. That much she could manage.

Robin smiled despite her hostile expression. "Be at me all you want, but you need to rest."

"Where am I?" Sam croaked out, finding it harder to speak then she expected.

"You are in the Titans Tower," Starfire volunteered enthusiastically. "You have no need to worry. He can't hurt you here-"

"Starfire," Robin warned gently, cutting her off. "One thing at a time."

"Who?" Sam asked, confused. They were both silent. "Who can't hurt me?" she demanded, trying to sit up again. The room swam and a roll of nausea swept through her.

The two Titans exchanged glances before Robin addressed her calmly. "Do you remember what happened after you left the Tower?" His voice seemed almost sad, although he attempted to keep it formal.

Sam closed her eyes and tried to will the nausea away; she wanted to concentrate on the past, on the distorted memory. "W-we went back to the hotel where we were staying for a while." A brief flash of her conversation with Tucker ran through her mind. "Then I went for a walk…Tucker came with me…" What had happened next was extremely important, Sam could tell, but it was also the haziest part. However, if she concentrated hard enough, Sam could use her newfound clarity in the present to try and understand the senseless images in her past. "I think we were attacked, I guess that's the best explanation. It's all a blur now, but Tucker yelled out for me and something hit me on the head, hard." Sam winced, her head giving out a nasty throb at the painful memory. As she looked up at the two Titans, she noticed that neither of them looked surprise, although the girl had a sympathetic look on her face.

"Do you remember anything about your attacker?" Robin asked. His persistence and curiosity confused Sam and made her wary. Should she really be telling Danny's enemy about this? However, she didn't see any way out of his interrogation.

"No… I told you, it's all a blur," Sam answered truthfully. She concentrated harder on what had happened when she hit the ground; although she had been barely conscious, she had managed to keep her sight for an extra second. "Wait… I remember something… about who attacked us. Or _what_ attacked us," she corrected. "I think- I think it might have been a ghost." Sam looked up at them, waiting for there reactions, unsure of what to expect.

In any other situation, the mention of ghosts would have sounded ridiculous, a result of Sam hitting her head too hard. This wasn't just any situation, though. It was Sam's daily life, full of monsters and ghosts where anything seemed possible. And it was the Titan's career, keeping people safe from said monsters and deranged criminals.

"What makes you say that?" Robin asked, clearly more tense then before. Sam couldn't see a reason behind his sudden mood change, so she turned her gaze to the girl, hoping to be enlightened. Starfire also had a strange look on her face; it was quite anger, but more like something terrible had been confirmed. Something she had known all along, but had hoped wasn't true.

Sam was even more cautious as she spoke again, carefully reading every emotion that flickered off the two faces in front of her. "I saw a green glow coming from whoever attacked us," she informed them. This piece of information, however, didn't give Sam the reaction she expected, and she indignantly wondered if they believed her. "I've lived in Amity Park since before the ghost attacks started, I do know what ghosts look like," she assured them, slightly annoyed. More to herself now, she added softly, "I only wish I could have gotten a better look, I wonder if I would have recognized them…" Her last sentence received a greater reaction, but it was nothing like she expected.

"Oh Robin! She does not know! Must we tell her now? She already posses the hurt, I do not wish to make it worse," Starfire pleaded.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked, confused. "You know who attacked us? Then why are you asking me all these questions? Who was it?" No one spoke. "I have a right to know!" Sam grew angrier by the second as the pair stayed silent. Nobody was answering her questions, and she was tired of being kept in the dark.

"I know how you feel Starfire, but she is right: she deserves to know." Sam's anger was quelled, but only because she was so shocked. She hadn't expected Robin to side with her on this, especially since he was the one who had distracted her from her original questions.

Starfire bit her lower lip in worry, but did not argue.

"Who was it?" Sam demanded again, trying to look into the eyes behind the mask.

Robin sighed, and it looked to Sam like he was bracing himself for a difficult task. "This is going to be very hard for you, but you have to understand. We would not be making these accusations if we had any reason to doubt…"

"Who was it?" Sam cut him off harshly, her non-existent patience gone.

"Phantom was at the crime scene when we arrived." He told her.

Robin paused for a split second longer, dreading what he had to say. With a final sigh, he told her point-blank. "Phantom was at the crime scene when we arrived."

Sam stared at Robin, still awaiting his answer. She either didn't understand or didn't want to hear the implication in his words.

"Okay, that's nice, but who..."

Robin sighed again and rephrased his answer, this time making himself perfectly clear. The room was deathly quiet as Robin's answer rang in her ears. "Danny Phantom was the one who attacked you."

"Danny…?" Sam asked quietly, still not understanding Robin's words. Whatever clarity Sam felt a few minutes ago disappeared as soon as that nonsense statement came out of Robin's mouth. It took Sam what felt like an eternity to search through every word and find meaning behind it, let alone combine said words into a sentence that made sense. The words: "Danny", "attacked" and "you" never belonged together. And as soon as Sam's mind translated the sentence, it was labeled "absurd" so fast that Sam was positive she heard wrong.

"What?!" Sam yelled, shaking her head as she tried to think clearly.

"I'm sorry. I know this is hard for you to accept because you trusted him and believed him to be your friend." Robin had misunderstood Sam's outburst. It was really a 'What are you talking about?' rather then a 'What, how could this happen!'. The difference was that Robin's assumption relied on the idea that she believed him. That the absurd notion was somewhat possible in her mind.

"You do not need to feel worried, though. We have captured the criminal, you could not be safer." Starfire had also misunderstood. She had read the twisted, bewildered expression on Sam's face to be fear, which is what the Titans expected her to feel.

"Wait!" Sam yelled, finally able to clear her head enough to talk. "You think Danny…" It was so absurd she could barely think it, let alone say it. "You think he did this to me?"

**DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP**

Robin could empathize with the pain that the girl, still struggling to understand his words, was about to go through. The pain of betrayal had to be one of the most intolerable feelings imaginable. All of the Titans had experienced it when Terra had betrayed them, and although she had redeemed herself in the end, it still did not dull the memory.

Traitors, like Phantom, who used these teens, telling them that they were friends, and then attacking them when he had no further use for them… were nothing less then evil. It wasn't just that he used innocent people that made him so deplorable, but the fact he created loyal followers, made them believe they were best friends, and then disposed of them. Even after they had stood up for him! Even traveled all the way from their home for him! It would be like finding out that one of his close friends, like Starfire, had never really been his friend and was just using him. The pain would be unbearable.

Robin's hands began to shake as he thought of Phantom. What right did he have to do that to innocent people? To hurt this girl not only physically, but mentally as well. He wondered if Phantom was the type of villain who found joy in causing people pain; the thought turned his stomach. He had once believed that Phantom could be good, that he seemed human and normal. However, now when Robin thought of his ghostly face, he could see none of that. Robin rarely felt hatred towards people. Even most criminals who did inhuman things were not worthy of it. But some people were.

Like Slade.

There was no doubt in his mind that he hated Slade. Hated him because of what he had done, and was willing to do to Robin's friends and to innocent people; he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. He was worse then any other criminal they had faced, because as much as Robin would hate to admit it, Slade was good. Good at planning, good at deceiving, and really, really good at causing pain. Robin never thought he would hate anyone other then him. And then he met Phantom.

The leader waited for Sam to fully comprehend what her so called 'friend' had done to her. He waited for betrayal to etch across her features, for pain and confusion to stare out of her soft violet eyes. He waited patiently for her to understand and take it all in, all the while wishing there was something he could do to help her. He waited for a long time before any recognizable emotion brought her back to life. But to Robins shock, it wasn't pain.

**TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT**

"Are you blind? Are you really that clueless?" Sam yelled as she tried to jump out of bed.

Robin barely managed to catch her before she fell off the edge.

"Danny is innocent! He would never hurt me or anyone else. He's a good person, not a criminal! How could you be missing this? Why don't you understa-" Sam was cut off by her own cough. She wasn't in the best condition, and the strain she was putting herself through was making things worse.

"Maybe you should rest for a while," Robin suggested slowly. He had a hand on her shoulder to steady her while she went though a coughing fit.

"No." She wheezed, and then took a second to catch her breath. "I want to see him," she demanded at last.

"I'm sorry, but we can't let you do that."

"How did I know you were going to say that?" Sam glowered. "Okay, I'll bite: why not?"

"He tried to do harm to you. It would not be safe!" Starfire seemed genuinely surprised Sam would want to see her supposed 'attacker'.

"He didn't try to hurt me!" Sam yelled so furiously that both Robin and Starfire looked nervous. Sam wondered for a moment if they were concerned with her mental stability.

"Okay, just calm down-"

"You just accused my best friend of trying to kill me. How can I be calm?" Sam hissed. Nevertheless, she at least tried to keep her voice down this time. "Besides, I thought you had him locked up?" she spat. "How is he supposed to hurt me now?"

"We have taken extra precautions this time, but he has managed to escape once before, and we don't want to use the fact that his last target is still alive as motivation for him to escape again," Robin explained. Sam let out a groan.

"I hate, hate, hate saying this, but you are so much like him!" Sam let out an annoyed sigh. "You over-think the situation and worry about everything, just like he does."

Anger shot up Robin's spine at the implication of Sam's words. "Don't compare him to me," he said slowly. His voice was harsher than he had expected.

Sam wasn't listening. "And let me guess; you try to save everyone…even those considered beyond saving."

The room was quiet for the millionth time as Sam and Robin sat glaring at each other.

"Let me ask you something. If your friend was the one in there, the person accused of attacking you, wouldn't you want to see them?" Sam asked finally.

Robin knew his answer, he knew she was right, but this wasn't about what was right or wrong. His job was to protect people, and that's what he was going to do. "This is a safety issue. I won't change my mind. I already failed at keeping you safe from him the first time. That will never happen again." With that, Robin turned to leave; there was nothing left to discuss, and he had work to do.

"Then please, do me one favor."

Robin sighed and turned to face the injured girl in the bed, injured because of his incompetence.

"At least tell him I am alright.," she begged. "That I'm alive and just have a few scrapes. I don't want him in there worrying about me when he should be worrying about himself. He does that a lot." She laughed humorlessly, running a finger through her hair only to hit the bandages on her head. "And please tell him that this is not his fault. He won't listen, but tell him I said that."

Robin knew he probably shouldn't, but he found himself agreeing anyway.

"And tell him," her voice took on a different, almost stern tone, "that once we get out of here we are going out for ice cream and that he's buying."

Robin and Starfire looked warily at each other. Sam sounded so sure that things were going to go back to normal, that both Titans felt sorry for her. She still didn't believe that Phantom had just been using her. "And I'll have my vanilla soy ice cream with little gummy bats and he will have his strawberry with sprinkles…" Her sentence drifted off, but she was still smiling, no doubt remembering happier times. That was the first time Robin had seen her smile.

"I'll tell him." Robin promised, interrupting her memories.

"Ohand tell him Tucker-" Sam suddenly gasped, and her pale skin lost the rest of its color. "Wait! Where is Tucker?"

_There must still be the soul that you have left behind, hidden somewhere_

_In the deep deep of the forest lying among the trees_

_People who are too tired they just don't look around, any farther_

_They disappear into the eternal darkness of a foreign place_

-Do As Infinity. "Deep forest"

Okay, so I am trying to fit the title 'Fukai Mori: Deep Forest' in with the story. The original author said that the story was supposed to be some what related to the song. I just want to make it a bit more obvious. So for anyone who doesn't know (I can't remember if I said anything about this yet) the song is called Deep Forest or Fukai Mori in Japanese, and it is an ending theme song for Inuyasha by Do As Infinity.


	10. Just the Facts

I'm going to start by saying: I'm so sorry this took so long! BUT you won't have to wait as long for the next chapter. A week at the most! Yeah I know, I don't have the greatest track record and you probably don't believe me, but it's true! And as you may or may not know I started a new fic, but I'm going to try very hard to not let that one interfere with how fast this one comes out.

Also, as truephan suggested I put in a summery. Unfortunately it got a little long… So I just recommend skimming it if you need a reminder of a certain part.

This story was beta-ed by Riverfox237. I would be lost without her! So thanks for all your help, grammatically and otherwise!

And thanks for all your reviews of course! They mean a lot!

Summery

Vlad Masters (he is not Mayor of Amity yet) has asked the Teen Titans to take care of Inviso-Bill, who has been attacking the citizens of Amity Park. When the Titans get there, they see the box ghost escaping from Danny's thermos. However, they think Danny was letting him go. They fight 'Inviso-Bill', but Robin and Beastboy's attacks don't work on a ghost. Cy's energy beam and Starfire's blast work, but it is Raven's attacks that do the most damage. Danny changes back into human form, but Vlad has already informed the Titians that he is half ghost. The Titans also possess ghost-hunting equipment they got from Mr. Masters, such as the Ghost-proof cuffs that prevent Danny from using his powers.

When they get home and put 'Inviso-Bill' in a ghost-and-human-proof cell, Vlad calls them and asks them to deliver Inviso-Bill to him. However, since Robin has no reason to trust this man, he refuses. With Mr. Masters living so far away, it seems strange that he would have an interest in Inviso-Bill.

Danny tries to explain himself to the Titans, even going so far as to tell them that Vlad Masters is a half-ghost too. They don't believe him. Danny is given one phone call, but before this Raven entered his mind to see if he was plotting anything. Danny was able to sense her in his mind, something no one has ever done before. Over the phone Danny was able to tell Sam and Tucker what had happened to him before Robin cut his line. Sam and Tucker are now looking up everything they can about the Teen Titans. In the meantime, the Titans are having a meeting. Raven tells them that Danny's memories fits with his story, but there is a good possibility that Phantom can alter his memories or create fake ones.

Meanwhile, Danny is having problems with the new room he is placed in. Just getting within two inches of the door shocks him, and so does banging on the walls. Escape is impossible. Cyborg goes down to Danny's cell and explains about the security measures so Danny doesn't continue to shock himself.

They also end up talking about friends. Cy says that although Robin can be a bit harsh, he is also a cool guy when you get to know him. Danny, after how Robin acted towards him, sincerely doubts this. But Cy says Robin acts that way because he is very protective of his friends. Danny admits that he feels the same way about his friends, but it is now Cy's turn to doubt him. After all, Cy has never known a Villain to be loyal. Cy and Danny continue talking and they both realize that the other isn't that bad. Danny muses that Cy is a lot like Tucker and Cy mentions that Danny would get along with BB… if he wasn't evil.

The alarm goes off and the Teen Titans leave, heading towards the disturbance: Amity Park. The mayor had heard of their success with getting rid of Inviso-Bill and wanted them to do the same to the rest of the ghosts in his town.

Sam and Tucker are trying to save Danny by playing Doomed and gaining access to the World Wide Web so they can shut down the power in the tower, allowing Danny time to escape. Their plan is interrupted, however, when Ember captures Sam as bait to get revenge on Danny. Tucker continues playing the game so he can free Danny and then Danny can save Sam. He beats the game but as he was going to shut off the power Vlad was trying to do the same thing. After Vlad deletes the 'FryerTuck' virus, he shut off the power and then heads to the tower to grab Danny himself. Unfortunately for him, Danny discovers his freedom faster then Vlad anticipated and he escapes. Danny flies home to Amity Park and finds Ember who was looking for him and has an unconscious Sam in her arms. Danny was able to save Sam and beat Ember, placing Sam back in her house.

Vlad's search for Danny had finally paid off and the two begin fighting. Danny in his weakened state after been captured by the Teen Titans was loosing badly. He only had enough energy to send an ecto-flare into the air before collapsing. The titans, of course, see it and headed towards it. They found Danny unconscious, but still in his ghost form, with a strange ghost they had never seen before standing over him. Danny woke up to see the Titians fighting Vlad. He got up to help the Titans, but Robin blocked him from the fight, trying to protect his friends from Danny Phantom. Danny gets past him anyway despite his warnings and goes to help. Danny saves Cy during the battle and as a reward gets captured again and put into the ghost-proof cuffs so he can't escape. Vlad gets away after they capture Danny. On the way back to the tower Danny asks what they were doing in Amity and they tell him they were sent to capture one of his ghost allies, Ember. He informs them she isn't his ally, but they don't believe him until he holds up the thermos she is now captured in.

Back in the tower the Titans try to figure out what Danny's 'problem' is. Why he is evil. They asked why Danny never told his parents about his ghost powers and if they would dissect him if they knew. Danny swore his parents would never intentionally hurt him and that they were good people. They try to get to know him better, but the conversation doesn't go so well. They still think he is evil and a danger to everyone. They also doubt his loyalty to the friends he is always talking about. Sam wakes up back in her room and knows Danny had to be the one to save her, meaning he was free. But Tucker, still looking for him, grabs the Fenton tracker which has Danny's ecto-signature in it. He discovers that Danny is back in the Titans Tower. He tells Sam and they both board a train for Jump City.

Now Danny is allowed to roam free in the tower, mostly because the Titans think he has found a way to get out of his cell. They don't trust him, and he is still a prisoner, but now they are working on understanding and trying to reform him. After all, he has so much power and as a villain he is dangerous. But if they can turn him good he would no longer be a danger to the world. The Titans are starting to see his humanity thanks to many things: the way he acts, the normalcy in how he loves playing video games, and his response to his friend's visit. Sam and Tucker made it to the tower, but it was Robin who answered the door. After refusing their request to see Phantom, he received a full lecture/rant from Sam.

Meanwhile, Slade and Vlad have created a partnership to both get what they want: their apprentices. To reach this goal, Slade's plan is to separate Phantom from the Titans before they realize they are on the same side. Skulker was sent to attack Sam and Tucker while the Titans are distracted with fighting the ectopuses in town. Vlad appears at the tower and starts a fight which leads Danny to the place where Sam was attacked. Danny was with a hurt Sam when the Titans showed up. They blamed Danny for her injuries, thinking he wanted to do away with her for a vileness reason. (She was a danger to his plan, he had no use for her…etc.) When Robin and Starfire explained this to Sam she absolutely refused to believe them. She informed them they had everything wrong, but Robin and Star just think she is in denial. Robin has promised Sam that he will tell Phantom she is okay, since he wouldn't let her see Danny. At the end Sam realizes that Tucker is also missing.

Chapter 10

**Just the Facts**

Robin sighed as the doors to their small hospital closed behind him. It had taken longer than he'd expected to explain the situation to their new guest, primarily because she absolutely refused to believe them. She did have a point though: if it had been one of his friends accused of betrayal, he wouldn't accept it without proof, either. And now apparently her friend Tucker, who was with her before the attack, was now missing.

This second piece of news upset her almost as much as the first. To calm her down, Robin had suggested that he probably ran off once they were attacked, which was a perfectly normal reaction for someone who's life was being threatened. Sam, however, just shook her head. _He wouldn't do that_, she'd mumbled. Another thing that wasn't possible in her eyes.

So now Robin had another problem. This guy, Tucker, was either safely hiding or captured. The latter theory, which was also the one Sam was so sure of, presented an even bigger problem to the Teen Titan's leader. If Phantom had attacked Sam, then who could have taken Tucker? Did Phantom have an accomplice, or…

Or were they just way off track?

Robin shook his head, trying to clear away the fog of confusion. He needed someone who could supply him with more insight. And miraculously, the very person for the job was just coming around the corner.

"Raven, can I talk to you for a minute?"

At his words, Raven lowered the book she was reading and placed it under her arm. "Sure. How is our patient doing?" Her voice lacked any emotion, as usual.

"Mad. At us. She refuses to believe that Phantom attacked her."

"I'm not surprised, especially after looking through Phantom's memories. They show that they have been friends for a very long time."

Robin frowned. "But you said his memories could be false, that Phantom could change them."

"That is a very distinct possibility. We don't know all of his powers, but he seems strong enough to be able to do something like that. The fact that he could sense me in his mind… no one has ever done that before." She looked disturbed by that fact, but only for a second.

Robin deliberated on that information before he spoke again. "I was wondering if you could talk to the girl for me and…_ learn _about her past with Phantom."

Raven understood exactly what he meant. "I will, but I don't think that it will help us much. If he can change his memories, then he could manipulate hers' almost as easily. I don't think we can trust anything in their minds."

This was defiantly going to make things harder. Now they had lost an edge that their physic teammate gave them. "So how do we know who's telling the truth?" He already knew the answer as Raven spoke it about loud.

"We don't." It sounded morbid when she said it.

"Well, we can't trust them to tell us the truth and we can't even trust their memories. I guess that leaves us no choice: we have to judge by their actions instead. Actions speak louder than words, after all." Robin quoted thoughtfully.

Raven nodded, silently agreeing with his decision. "I'll go talk to her now."

Robin shook his head. "No, let her rest for now. But Starfire might need a break from watching her."

The dark sorceress nodded and left, entering the door he had just exited.

Robin headed down to the cell Cyborg had created to hold Phantom. Although the ghost boy had manage to escape from there before, it seemed like the safest place to keep him at the moment. This time, however, they had taken extra precautions. Phantom was still in the ghost-proof handcuffs they had gotten from Mr. Masters. With those on, he was powerless. In addition, he was being held in the same cell he had been in before, the one that reacted to ectoplasm. Touching any of the walls would give him a nasty shock.

Escape seemed impossible. But he had escaped before, and an innocent person, perhaps two, had gotten hurt because of Robin's carelessness. He would not let that happen again, especially now that the stakes were even higher. There was no telling what Phantom would do to Sam or anyone else if he escaped.

Right now Robin needed to talk to their prisoner. Not only did the ghost boy need to answer for what he had done, but Robin had a promise to keep.

Cyborg was the only one in the observatory room of the prison level. Robin suggested that he take a break while he talked to the prisoner. Cyborg hesitated at first.

"Just be carful man, we don't really know if those cuffs can hold him," Cy warned his friend.

Robin nodded stiffly. Cyborg's words reminded him just how unprepared they were to take on this new level of Villain. Raven had been the only one that knew anything about ghosts, and all other information they had obtained had been from Mr. Masters.

Robin looked through the glass to see Phantom, still in his ghostly form (would the handcuffs even allow him to change back?), on his knees with his head lowered. Robin briefly wondered if this was a sign that he had given up. Or was he planning his next move?

It really made no difference since Robin entered the cell anyway. Robin was ready for anything; it would only take a second for him to draw his bo-staff if he needed to.

After hearing Robin's footsteps approach him, Phantom's head shot up, his gaze meeting the masked hero's. The look in his inhuman green eyes almost made Robin freeze in his tracks. Almost. Phantom wasn't happy or smug like most villains were when they accomplished something. He wasn't even frustrated or angry that he had been captured again. The look in his eyes was pure fear. But as Robin stepped closer, he realized that the fear wasn't for himself.

"Is Sam okay?" The words tumbled out of his mouth as if he couldn't control them any longer.

Phantom seemed to be begging him for an answer, but Robin didn't give it right away. "Cut the act Phantom, we both know you're the one who attacked her in the first place." Robin glowered at the boy on the ground.

Phantom flinched at the accusation, but it seemed he had a one-track mind. "Please, is…is she okay? She was-" he swallowed hard, "bleeding, a lot…" His eyes became clouded with the memory. Robin thought he could see him shaking slightly.

Robin took a deep breath. He had given Sam his word. "She needed a few stitches, but she's fine. Obviously whatever you were trying to do failed, big time." Robin's eyes were full of hate; not the fiery passionate kind, but a cold loathing that no amount of retribution could cure. "You're never going to get out of this. I'm going to make sure you're put somewhere where you can never hurt anybody again."

Phantom seemed unfazed by this threat, however. "She's… okay?" he said, slowly taking it in. Suddenly, a huge smile of relief washed across his face. "Thank goodness." He lowered his forehead until it met the cool ground of the cell. Then he began to laugh slightly to himself out of what seemed to be relief.

Robin watched, but didn't understand. Was this all a trick Phantom was playing on them, or had he been really worried? Then Robin remembered his decision, to only judge by action, not words, thoughts or emotion. Just plain facts. And the facts were not looking to be in Phantom's favor so far. 1) Phantom is considered an enemy to the town of Amity park. This is why Mr. Masters asked the Titans to capture him in the first place. 2) There was almost irrefutable evidence saying Phantom had just attacked a girl claiming to be a friend of his. And 3)… well, there was no third solid evidence saying that Phantom was evil, and Robin was going to keep it that way. Nobody else was getting hurt while Phantom was in their custody.

"I really don't get you…" Robin began. "At first glance you're the typical Villain. Someone who was granted powers they either couldn't control or used to their advantage. And at first people start out doing small criminal acts, either pulling pranks or stealing things they can't afford. But then they start getting back at others who have bullied or oppressed them. They enjoy the power they get from hurting people and before they know it, they're attacking everyone without discrimination and without cause. The power makes them feel unstoppable, like they are above everyone else. The worst is when unsuspecting people get dragged into it, like your two 'friends'. They defend you, but they don't even know what you are."

Phantom stayed silent through all of this, his forehead still to the ground. "And soon, you don't even know who you are anymore. You keep your friends around to seem normal, so you're not suspected of being a monster. But the truth is, you don't need them. A Villain doesn't need friends unless they can manipulate them to their advantage. So you attack her for no reason, just because you can't use her anymore!"

It was at that that Phantom's head suddenly snapped up.

"So, that's what you think I am?" Phantom hissed. The look in Phantoms eyes made him swiftly bring out his bo-staff. His fists clenched over it tightly, ready to defend himself. Phantom's eyes were electric-green and more inhuman then ever, but it was the rage behind them that sent shivers up Robin's spine. Phantom looked wild, and even with his hands restricted in the cuffs, extremely dangerous. Robin forced himself to hold the intense gaze he longed to break. No matter what, he would not back down; this was his tower, his home.

Robin ignored his instinct to back up when Phantom got off his knees. "…a monster?" Phantom finished, stepping forward, but still Robin refused to give an inch. "Well, you're right about one thing: monsters don't need friends. They don't have humanity. They give that up as soon as they can." Phantom's haunting eyes seemed haunted by something else.

"Is that what you did? Give up your humanity?" Robin asked icily.

Phantom's eyes flashed in warning. "Never," His voice was firm, eyes determined. Robin held his gaze until Phantom broke it, averting his eyes to the ground. In a quieter voice, one Robin was sure he wasn't supposed to hear, Phantom whispered to himself, "No… not yet, not then, and not ever."

Robin was confused; Phantom wasn't making any sense. What did he mean by, 'not yet'; was he planning something? 'Not then'; had it already happened? How did one get rid of their humanity? Phantom was already halfway there, he supposed, since he was half ghost. If he got rid of the other half…Robin froze mid-thought. That would kill him. To get rid of his human half would make him full ghost. Robin looked at Phantom again through new eyes.

"You're one messed up kid, do you know that?" Robin informed him.

Phantom blinked, pulling out of his own dark thoughts. "Oh, so I'm a kid now, am I?" He scoffed, "I thought I was a monster? Make up your mind. Am I a monster or a human, a ghost or a child, a hero or a villain?" Phantom continued to step forward, his tone accusing.

"That's…" Robin began, "up to you."

"Is it? I thought my new friends the Teen Titans had decided that for me when they locked me in this cage," he asked through bitter sarcasm.

Robin bristled at the accusation and immediately shot back a reply, ready to defend himself and his team. "We were doing our job! Our interests were in protecting the town from ghosts like you! And apparently we weren't doing enough since you almost killed that girl-"

"I would never hurt Sam!" Danny screamed now nose-to-nose with Robin. Phantom was breathing heavily, despite being in ghost mode. His eyes were fixed on Robin's mask. "You can call me a monster, most people do anyway… And I know more then anyone that the possibility is inside of me. But I would never hurt _her_." He had a pained expression on his face now. "I would never hurt Tucker, Jazz, or Mom and D-Dad," his voice broke as he fell to his knees before him. This powerful ghost brought down by a few words and the memory of those five people. Half-ghost, Robin had to remind himself.

"This is why I don't get you Phantom. You're the typical Villain; I've spent all my life training to take down guys like you. And yet you sit here denying all the evidence against you, claiming to be good when only two people are on your side. You're done, you're never getting your freedom again, so why not tell us the truth? Why do you keep pretending you care?"

Phantom looked up at him from the ground with an unreadable expression, "Isn't it obvious?" he asked. "I pretend every day at school to be normal. With my parents, I pretend to be human. I pretend the bruises and cuts I get from ghost fights come from clumsiness or bullies. I pretend that the bully's punches actually hurt me so I'm not called a freak. I pretend I'm weak, ignorant Danny Fenton, because that's who I'm supposed to be. But when it comes to my fiends…" Danny took a deep breath, and stared at the ground. "Around them, I don't have to pretend, because they accept me. All of me, ghost, human, hero, even after knowing the monster I could become." A small, unconscious smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "I don't know why or even how, I'm as confused as you are, but they do. They believe I'm good and I _trust _them, so it must be true."

Robin stared down at him, unable to speak. He claimed he was good because his friends said so? It was the strangest logic Robin had ever heard, but he had to admit, in a twisted way… it did make sense. Perhaps the way to get through to Phantom was through his friends.

"You know," Robin started in a less threatening, almost thoughtful voice. "She really does trust you." Robin noticed Phantom's eyes soften at the mention of Sam. "She refused to believe us when we told her you were her attacker. In fact, even if we had a video of it I'm sure she would still argue your innocence."

Danny chuckled lightly, "That's Sam for you. She always stays true to her beliefs."

"She also believes everything is going to go back to normal." Phantom's muscles tightened. "But we both know that's not true. At least not for you. You're never going to see her again, not if I can help it."

"What are you going to do? Keep me locked up here forever?" Danny asked through clenched teeth.

"No, we don't have the resources to do that safely," Robin stated coldly. "But we do know one person who does."

Phantom's eyes widened, and for the first time, the fear in them was for himself. "Y-you wouldn't..." Phantom stuttered. But from Phantom's reaction, Robin knew he had made the right decision. Vlad Masters was the only one with the technology and money to house such a powerful criminal. This was why Mr. Masters had asked them to deliver Phantom to him immediately after they caught him, instructions they foolishly ignored.

"It was the only option you left us." Robin replied.

Phantom stumbled to his feet again. "You don't understand what he will do when he has me! I've told you, he's half-ghost too and he's been trying to use you to get to me! This has been his plan all along."

"And what does he want with you?" Robin asked doubtfully.

"He has this sick idea that I'll become his son. That I'll work for him and be his apprentice."

The idea was all too familiar for Robin's tastes. The masked teen tried to clear his head without giving his enemy any indication that his words had affected him. "I stopped believing you a long time ago, Phantom."

"Then why are you even here talking to me?" The ghost teen challenged him.

"I promised Sam I would deliver a message to you. To tell you she was alright. And that- and these are her words, not mine: this isn't your fault."

Phantom cringed inwardly and Robin raised an eyebrow. "Are you really feeling guilty, Phantom?"

The ghost lowered his head slightly in defeat. "Of course I feel guilty. It's my fault their caught up in this." Robin watched him as he walked over to the far wall and slowly sat against it, being very carful not to get shocked. There was a long moment of silence. Then finally, he asked, "Was that all she said?"

Robin frowned, trying to think back. Phantom had managed to distract him from his initial reasons for going to see him. "Mostly, she said something else about you buying ice cream…"

To Robin's surprise, Phantom's serious face suddenly turned into a grin, and he stared to laugh. "Let me guess, vanilla soy ice cream with gummy bats?" He continued to smile. "I guess I do owe her one."

Robin was stunned at the complete normalcy of his words. Phantom hadn't sounded like a dangerous ghost then, but a normal teen that went to school and hung out with friends. He even got her order correct. Robin couldn't name one other villain who knew someone else's ice cream order. It was such a trivial thing, but somehow it nagged at the back of Robin's consciousness.

Robin had to mentally shake himself. He had decided before he stepped into Phantom's cell that he could only judge him based on his actions, not his words. Robin reminded himself of the last time he thought Phantom acted human, right before he escaped and attacked Sam. No, he would not fall for that ever again.

_Could we still have seen if we were there?_

_Could we have seen it if it were little?_

_Go one with our lives and lose those things behind_

_Wrapped around in lies_

_We stand there voiceless_

_Want to live our lives until we find a way_

_Searching for the light for eternity_

-Do As Infinity. "Deep forest"


	11. The View

See, see! My fasted update ever!

Summery is in Chapter 10 if you need it. Let me know if you think I should add to the summery and put it before every chapter. I'm not going to do that unless it is requested, that way I know if people still need it.

Thanks for your reviews! I didn't get many at first and I won't blame people for giving up on this story because I'm taking so long. But over time I got more, and loved every single one of them. So again, thank you.

**Chapter 11 **

**The View**

"What are we going to do, Robin?" Cyborg asked from the opposite end of the table. The whole team looked up from where they were sitting, awaiting their leader's response. The alarms would go off if Phantom tried anything and Sam had finally gone to sleep, probably exhausted from her injuries.

Robin had decided that this was the best time to hold a team meeting, despite how uneasy he felt leaving either prisoner or guest alone for long. But this meeting was necessary. His team was just as confused and unsure about their situation as he was. However, as a leader it was his job to stay in control, to dispel all doubt, and to make the final decision.

Robin began, addressing his team with a somber face. "Alright, team, we knew the risks in taking on an enemy that we knew almost nothing about. And the only adviser to our situation was a stranger who we also knew nothing about. We did the best we could and we captured him like we were supposed too."

He could tell by the looks on his friend's faces that they didn't feel like they had succeeded in anything. Not only had their prisoner escaped and hurt someone, but they felt like they failed Phantom as well. Every one of the Titians had sensed the humanity in Phantom, and despite his past actions, they believed there was a way to get though to him- to help him become a hero instead of a villain.

But they had failed. This is what they all wanted to say, but none interrupted, knowing what Robin was going to say next would be important. "But we learned the hard way that we don't have the ability to continue to protect the world from Phantom. That's why I have decided to give that responsibility to someone who can handle it: Vlad Masters."

No one seemed happy about this prospect, but they didn't disagree, either. The real shock came in the implications of Robin's decision. None of the Titans had ever seen Robin give up before. Handing their problem off to somebody else seemed to go against everything the Titans stood for. But Robin's decision was a mature one. Their priority was to the world first, their pride second. Vlad had the ability to keep the world safe from Phantom. Perhaps they should have listened to Mr. Masters in the first place when he asked them to deliver Phantom. Instead, they had stubbornly tried to do things themselves.

"I am going to call Mr. Masters after this meeting. I just wanted to see if any of you had any objections first." Robin couldn't see any other option before him, but if his teammates could think of one, he would gladly listen. Honestly, Robin hated this plan, partly because he did not trust Mr. Masters. Why would a man who lives so far away and had so much money care about one villain in a small town? Something just didn't feel right.

"What about what Phantom said? That Vlad was a half ghost like him?" Beastboy reminded them. "What if it's true and we're just handing him to an even worse villain?" Their green teammate's theories have never been particularly sound, but everyone considered this option nonetheless. After all, if there was one half-ghost, then why not two? They had dealt with stranger.

Robin was a bit uneasy as he spoke again, although he hid it well. "There is no reason for us to suspect Mr. Masters of being anything but human. All we have is Phantom's word, and I find it very hard to put any faith in that ghost now."

"Friend Robin, I do not understand…" Starfire spoke up this time, her voice decidedly troubled. "Phantom has hurt Sam, so he is undoubtedly evil, yes? Then why does she still defend him?"

Before Robin could respond, Cyborg broke in. "Yeah, and what happened to that friend of Sam's, Tucker? If Phantom attacked her, then why is he still missing?"

"There are too many missing variables. There is something we aren't seeing…" Raven closed her eyes in concentration, no doubt going over the facts again.

Robin sighed in frustration. "I know this isn't the ideal situation, but what else can we do?" Suddenly Robin's voice became hard, and there was new determination in his words. "I _won't_ let him hurt anybody else."

The team watched Robin with knowing admiration and hardened agreement in their eyes. Robin was right; there were lives at stake here. And they couldn't continue to risk hundreds of innocent people just because everything didn't _feel_ right.

However, there was one member of the team that was thinking of another life at risk. One right here in the tower who had as much right to life as anyone else. "What if…" Beastboy began tentatively. "What if Danny isn't lying?" It was the first time any of them had used the name 'Danny' instead of 'Phantom' since Sam was attacked. "What if his memories aren't false and he never did attack Sam? We might have the wrong guy! What if we've been wrong since the beginning?"

Beastboy's words hung in the air ominously. The silence was heavier than most of them could stand, but still no one broke it, all desperately waiting for Robin's response. Everyone had considered this before, but nobody had brought it up until now, afraid of what the answer would be. Even now they wanted Robin to dispel their doubt, for him to assure them Phantom was evil. To say they hadn't locked away an innocent person.

Beastboy was the opposite. Out of all of the Titans, he had become the closest to Danny. He never believed he was completely innocent, of course, but attempted murder against a friend? Beastboy just couldn't believe that the normal, fun kid he had played video games with was the monster his friends made him out to be. He knew this outlook could be perceived as being naïve, but he didn't care. Beastboy knew monsters, and monsters didn't have friends that traveled for hours just to see them. Monsters didn't pace their cell, constantly questioning if the person they attacked was alright. And most importantly, monsters were not fun to hang out and play video games with. Danny Phantom was no more a monster then any of the Titans were.

At least… he hoped not.

Robin shook his head. "The evidence against him says otherwise, Beastboy. He's been a menace to Amity Park since he showed up: attacking citizens and causing property damage. But as we know, public opinion and the media are not always right. That's why we gave him a chance and let him freely roam the tower while we kept an eye on him. But he took advantage of that freedom and Sam almost got killed because of it. The facts say he is guilty."

"But Robin, we do not have all the facts," Starfire reminded him.

Raven nodded. "She's right. There are huge pieces missing, and some gaps that don't make any sense."

"We may not have all the facts, but we have enough," Cyborg offered.

Beastboy groaned and leaned back in his chair, "I'm confused! Is he guilty or not? How come putting a Villain in jail has never been this difficult before?"

"Because we have never dealt with a Villain like this before," Robin answered, his eyes narrowed in thought.

"Or because you aren't dealing with a Villain at all." The Titans jumped at the unfamiliar voice. Twisting around, they saw Sam standing at the door: bandaged, tired, but determined nonetheless.

"Sam! What are you doing out of bed?" Robin made his way towards her, but Starfire beat him there.

"Oh, how is your head feeling? I do not think it is wise for you to be standing. Come, I'll take you back to-"

"No!" Sam attempted to shove her away, but her lack of strength made it a feeble attempt. "I am not going to lie in bed while you decide his fate," she almost growled. "I'm staying."

There was a palpable tension in the air as Robin and the girl glared at each other, locked in a battle of wills. Starfire looked helplessly at her other friends, but they couldn't do anything more than she could.

Finally, Robin sighed, having recognized something familiar in Sam's eyes. "Fine, you can stay." Sam beamed victoriously, but at the same time Starfire opened her mouth to object. "But first you have to sit down, and after the meeting you have to go back and let Starfire take care of you. Agreed?"

"Fine." She nodded curtly before walking slowly to an open chair, shaking off Starfire's assistance all the while.

Sam's condition hadn't seemed to improve very much, probably from her lack of sleep, but the fact that she was walking was impressive.

Robin sat back down in his chair and ran his fingers through his hair. Sighing, he asked, "How much did you hear already?"

"Most of it, I think. Enough to know that you're sending him to Vlad's and that you've never heard the saying 'innocent until proven guilty'."

"Where do you get that idea?" Cyborg asked, scratching his head. "We have plenty of evidence to prove he is guilty of several crimes, most all of them against your home town."

Sam shook her head. That's just it. Your evidence is based off of the police reports from a town that is constantly being attacked by ghosts. Of course they are going to say Danny is evil. They hate ghosts! The evidence is biased and so are you! I'm sure if he was human-"

Robin cut her off, "We would what? Treat him differently? Give him a chance? We tried that already and you got hurt because of it. And as for us treating him differently because he isn't human, …hey, look around you." He motioned to the others around the table.

Sam did as he requested, finding herself locking eyes with a green shape shifter, a sorceress, a cyborg, and an alien.

Robin's voice was surprisingly soft when he spoke again. "We aren't the type of people to judge someone because they aren't all human." Sam found herself nodding involuntarily as she swallowed that part of her argument. She realized these people had seen a lot, probably more then she had. They also weren't unreasonable, not like the ghost hunters back home. Perhaps they weren't prejudiced; maybe they really were just innocently confused.

"Okay…" Sam breathed out slowly. This was the closest she would come to apologizing, especially to the people who had her friend locked up in a cage. "Let's go back to the facts. You said you had enough to charge him for several crimes, but I also heard you say you were missing a lot. So which is it?" she demanded.

"Both," Robin stated. "We have enough evidence to lock him away, but we feel like we don't have the whole story."

"Whatever happened to reasonable doubt? If you have reasonable doubt that someone is guilty, then they have to be let go!"

"I don't have _any_ doubt," Robin assured her coolly.

"Even though, like your friend said, some of the facts don't even make sense?"

"But the ones that matter do."

"You can't just ignore facts because you don't like them!"

"What I can't do is continue to put the world in danger from Phantom! Not to mention I have an eye witness to Phantom's most recent crime."

Sam looked taken aback. "Who, me? But I'm the one defending him!"

By this time they were both standing up, fists clenched at their sides, arguing loudly back and forth.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Beastboy whispered to the rest of the Titans.

"Nah," Cyborg whispered back, watching the scene with amused interest, "I think its best if we just let them work it out of their system. Kinda wish I brought snacks, though…"

Starfire gasped. "This is not like your entertainment theater! Sam is not well enough to be partaking in such strenuous activity." She clasped her hands together in worry as she continued to watch the fight.

"Look." Robin tried to direct the argument back to the original situation. "I get that you think he didn't attack you. But if not him, then who did?"

"I don't know! Any other ghost could have done it."

"But there weren't any other ghosts around."

"That you know of!" she protested.

"And why would they attack you over hundreds of people that were out that day?"

"I don't know, okay? I just know you're wrong."

Robin sighed. "You know that doesn't help us out any, right?"

"You want me to help you out? Fine, let me put things in perspective for you. I don't have any proof that he is innocent, but the last time I checked, that wasn't necessary." She gave them a pointed look and continued. "I know you have been going by facts, but how good are they, really? You seem to be missing most of them anyway. So please, forget the facts for just one minute and hear me out."

Sam looked around to find five pairs of eyes watching her intently. "I've known Danny since preschool. We've been best friends since as long as I can remember. When he first got his powers, Tucker and I were the only ones who knew. I know it was hard on him, but we were by his side the entire time, helping the best we could. Now tell me, who do you think would know him better: you or me?"

Robin wanted to say something, like that her history with Phantom would cloud her judgment, or that Phantom could have the ability to manipulate memories. But he kept his mouth shut and just listened.

"He has been through a lot, but he's always stuck with his original decision to use his powers to help people. Never, and I mean never, has he used them to hurt an innocent person." She watched their faces closely, searching for something. "You guys know what I'm talking about, don't you? You've seen that he's not just some mindless ghost. He's a person. And a good one at that."

Sam was silent then, and so was everyone else. The only sound that could be heard was Sam's heavy breathing. The argument had taken a lot out of her, and her health seemed worse than before.

Robin's voice was calm; obviously he was trying to do his best not to argue with her again. "We understand your feelings for him… but that still doesn't change the facts-"

"It wasn't supposed the change the facts," Sam replied bitterly. "It was supposed to give you a chance to perceive them differently. After all, it's what angle you look at things that determine what view you see."

Silence followed as each Titan considered her words.

"Listen," Sam sighed; they could hear the tired and injured girl through the voice this time, "I'm not asking for you to be one hundred percent sure he is innocent. But if there is any reasonable doubt in your mind that he's not…then don't send him to Vlad. You have no idea what would happen." Sam chewed her bottom lip in worry.

By this time, Robin was exhausted, too. He was tired of arguing, and he knew Sam would never give in. She would keep going for as long as he would. He needed a different perspective. "What do you guys think?" Robin addressed his team.

Nobody spoke at first, but then Beastboy began rubbing the back of neck nervously, something obviously on his mind. "I-I don't know dude… I know what the facts say, but… something's just not right."

Raven nodded. "Something hasn't been right from the start. If we send him away, we will never learn the truth. I don't think we have enough information."

"Robin," Starfire said, her voice was wonderfully gentle, "I do not doubt you, but I fear I have doubt in Phantom's guilt. I am sorry, Robin." She looked slightly ashamed.

The Boy Wonder forced himself to smile, "it's okay Star, I understand." And he did understand. He wanted his team to have their own opinions and to not be afraid to share them.

"Robin," Cyborg began, "we are behind you with whatever you decide, even if we don't agree with it. You're our leader, after all, and we trust you to make the decision you feel is right." The rest of the team nodded in agreement.

Robin smiled again, and this time it was completely genuine. "Thanks, guys." But now it was decision time. "And thanks for telling me how you feel. And you say you trust me, but I want to be a leader that trusts his team." He took a breath and turned to Sam. She looked as though she was afraid of what he was going to say next. "Okay, you win. We have reasonable doubt."

Sam's face lit up brighter then Starfire's when Raven agreed to join her at the mall. "Good! Now let him go!" she demanded.

Robin had do give her points for perseverance. "Hold on, we won't send him to Mr. Master, but that doesn't mean we're going to let him go. He's still a criminal."

Sam was beyond frustrated. "If you can't prosecute him, then you have to let him go! It's the law. What are you going to do? Wait around for someone to prove he's innocent? Are we back to that again?"

Cyborg spoke up this time. "We already have him guilty of property damage and resisting arrest. The things he is in question for are attacking citizens and attempted murder. We have the law on our side for keeping him here."

"I don't believe this! So he's just going to stay here until you are convinced he really is a hero? How is he going to prove anything if he's locked up in a cage?"

"He is going to stay here until he tells us the truth and we can make a more informed decision." Sam looked like she was going to object again, and so Robin added one more point. "Unless you want Vlad to make the decision himself?"

Sam closed her mouth, but glared hatefully at the teen. "Fine, but I want to see him."

"No, I've already told you that's not going to happen. It's too dangerous."

"How?" Sam's voice cracked. "You said there were extra safety precautions. I bet he can't even use his powers."

Cyborg cleared his throat. "She's right, man. I really don't think Phantom can do anything right now. And if we're all there, it would be stupid for him to try anything."

Robin shot him a tolerant glance that said, 'whose side are you on again?' "Just because it's unlikely still doesn't mean it's safe. Besides, I thought we agreed you would rest now that the meetings over?"

Sam stood up and walked quickly towards him, perhaps to demonstrate that she didn't need rest. Leaning towards him, she pointed a finger in his face. "I don't know why you think it's your job to keep me safe, but it isn't. I can protect myself. I don't need you telling me what I can and can't do. I am going to go see my _best friend_ and that's my decision. You're not responsible for it, so please, move out of my way." Her dark eyes and determined scowl would have made her look quite formidable if it wasn't for the white gauze bandages around her head.

It seemed like he was doing a lot of giving in today because of this girl, but he supposed it could also be considered compromising. "If I let you see him, then you have to promise to stay in bed until Starfire says it's okay. And you actually have to do it this time," he added, remembering that if she had kept to her last deal, Sam would be resting by now.

But he realized Sam would get no rest until she could see if her friend was alright with her own eyes. And he supposed it wouldn't really be dangerous – not if the whole team was there. Robin was probably just being overprotective because he felt guilty that she had gotten hurt in the first place.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

The six of them entered the prison level of the tower; none of them had spoken since they left the main floor. The injured girl was practically leading them the whole way, despite the fact she had no idea where they were going. And Sam, as always, had refused any help from them. Even though she had a few badly bruised ribs and a head injury, which included a small concussion, she worked very hard to act like she was perfectly healthy.

"Okay, we're here. You can talk to him, but stay close to us." Robin entered the thirteen-digit combination and the heavy door hissed open.

"Danny!" Sam gasped and ran into the cell towards black and white figure on the floor.

"So much for that plan," Beastboy commented.

"Sam?" Phantom looked up from his kneeling position. When the ghost saw her, he struggled to his feet, which was made difficult by the fact that his hands were still cuffed behind his back.

The Goth girl was across the room before Robin could even blink. Robin fought the urge to go after her, putting his faith in Cyborg's assurance that the cuffs would block Phantom's powers.

Without even hesitating, Sam threw her arms around the ghost's neck in a relieved hug. Phantom was beyond surprise to see her, if the wide eyes and tense posture were any indication. But at her touch, he slowly seemed to relax as he closed his eyes and rested his head on her shoulder. Sam didn't even shudder at his icy touch.

"Sam…" he breathed. The Titans moved into the room, just in case. After a few long seconds, Phantom spoke again. "Are- are you okay?" Sam detangled her arms and they broke apart. The half ghost looked into her eyes intensely, as if he was searching for something. When those inhuman eyes were on Robin he had to fight the urge to flinch, but Sam just smiled up at him, slight confusion on her features.

"Sure, I'm fine. But I should be the one asking you that." She reached out and placed a hand on his arm; as if she was compelled to touch him, afraid he would disappear if she wasn't holding on. "You're the one they have locked up like an animal," she spat.

His voice was thick with raw emotion. "It's just… the last time I saw you… you were hurt, badly. I-" He broke off, closing his eyes momentarily, as if he was the one who was in pain. "I was really worried. I thought-"

"Relax, Danny." Robin had never heard her voice so gentle. "I'm fine, you see?" She stepped back so he could get a good look at her. His eyes examined everything about her, her face, her slightly torn clothes, the tightly wrapped bandages around her head, before he seemed satisfied.

Phantom sighed in relief and admitted quietly, "You really scared me, Sam." He locked eyes with her once more, his green orbs soft and troubled. But then his jaw tightened and his voice became low and dangerous. "Who did this to you?" he demanded. "I swear, I'll find them and _kill_ them." Phantom pulled at his restraints, itching to have his powers back, and Robin was glad to see the cuffs were holding.

"Danny…" Sam warned, but couldn't hide the fear in her voice. She wasn't frightened of him, but of where this anger could lead him. "You don't mean that." she told him sternly.

Phantom looked taken aback, unsure if she was right. "Sam, don't you get it? You were almost-" but he broke off, unable to finish.

"I know, but I'm not. I'm fine, right?" Danny nodded slowly, reluctant to see the logic she presented. "So don't dwell on it. We have more important things to deal with, like getting you free and finding Tucker."

"Tucker's missing?" he asked, distracted from his thoughts of revenge.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, he was with me when we were attacked, but I haven't heard from him since."

"Something must have happened to him," Phantom concluded fearfully. Robin noticed that Phantom, like Sam, had totally ignored the fact that Tucker might have just run off.

"What are we going to do?" Sam was never one to rely on others, always coming up with her own ideas, but she was completely at a loss here. She needed him to say something, to announce that he had a plan, like he always did…

But he just stayed silent, lost in thought.

"Sam," Robin prodded softly. He had let her talk with Phantom longer then originally intended. It was time to get her back to the hospital room.

Suddenly she whirled around, eyes flashing dangerously, daring him to try and pull her away. Robin surprised himself when he actually hesitated.

Beastboy spoke up, chuckling uneasily. "Good luck, dude. I think I'd rather fight him-" he pointed at Phantom, "-than her right now."

The half ghost chuckled, "You've not been giving them an easy time, have you?"

She turned back to him. "Why should I? After everything they did and were going to do? They almost sent you to Vlad!" She was positively livid.

"Almost?" he echoed.

Robin took a step forward. "Sam had a few good points in your defense. So instead, you will be staying here where we can keep an eye on you."

The ghost was surprised at first, but then his expression turned thoughtful as a frown found its way onto his lips. He regarded the ground carefully as if the flooring held the answer. When he finally spoke his words held the weight of his decision. "I want you to send me to Vlad's."

"What!?!" Sam yelled, her mouth agape.

Phantom refused to look at her; instead he turned his determined eyes to Robin, who met his steady gaze. "I thought you didn't want to go there?" Robin asked, giving no indication whether he would allow it.

Phantom shrugged. "I changed my mind." He didn't elaborate any further.

Before Robin could answer, Sam made it painfully obvious she didn't like being ignored. Balling her hand into a fist, she punched the ghost in the chest hard enough to make him stumble backwards.

"Oww, Sam! Why did you-"

"What the hell?" she hissed.

Robin had been ready to intervene in case Phantom retaliated, but it looked like the hybrid was the one in trouble.

"What are you thinking, going to Vlad's? Look at you! You're completely defenseless!"

"Sam-"

"No way! I won't let you go. Why would you even say something like that?"

"Sam, listen-"

"I just saved you from being sent there! Why would you _choose_ to-"

"Sam!" he yelled, finally managing to gain her attention. "Listen to me."

She blinked in surprise and let him continue.

"I don't _want_ to go, believe me. I know it will be dangerous, but Vlad is up to something and I have to find out what."

"Can't it wait until we sort this mess out first?" She nodded to the Titans.

"No, because he is behind that too. You know Vlad, he works fast, and if we wait it will be too late."

Sam bit her lip, trying to think up another excuse. "If he's behind your capture, then you're probably just playing right into his trap!"

Phantom nodded, "I know, but I have to." Seeing Sam was going to object again he added, "I think he has Tucker."

So am I doing better with Robin's character? Hopefully this chapter helped bring things together a little better. Please review!


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